Christmas Vacation

This weekend and next few days have been committed to getting ready for our big Christmas trip.We have been packing, wrapping presents, and getting the house vacation ready. J and I live in one state, but our families live in two other states. We alternate spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with both sets of families. I would like to add that both of our kitties will be making the trip with us again this year. That is always interesting=)

This Christmas we are heading to J's hometown. I will be getting my first pair of snow boots. Although, I have had a white Christmas before in my home state, I've never been in colder weather for this length of time before. 

We are looking forward to spending time with family, enjoying some down time, and Christmas in general!

The epitamy of great Latin dancing...

I'm posting this purely so I can have it to watch over and over again.

Here is Ricarrdo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko dancing at the 2008 The World Super Stars Dance Festival in Japan:

We Danced Last Night!

Last night, our dance studio had their annual Winter showcase! Below is a picture of me and my parents after I danced my Samba. Since I am a perfectionist, and believe I have a ways to go, I'll save my video for mine and my teacher's eyes only=) I did overcome the fear of dancing a showcase routine. Everyone was surprised when I told them I was nervous since I dance in competitions. For me it was a different type of experience and I'm so glad that I did it. I hope to dance in many more! Last night was the first time I was able to overcome a lot of my nerves and focus on the performance. I still have a ways to go on that..for sure...but last night was a good start.

Here is my video of my hubby and his dance partner dancing their Foxtrot. It's lovely!

Thanksgiving 2009

This year, J and I spent Thanksgiving with my family in my hometown. We had a great time visiting with parents, grandparents, siblings, sister-in-law, aunts, uncles, and cousins.



We got in late Wednesday night. Thanksgiving day, we helped my parents get the lunch ready. J and I were able to help them with a few of the dishes they were making. I also made pumpkin bars for dessert. The recipe for the bars is from the Food Network. I cant take credit for them.

Pumpkin Bars

Recipe courtesy Patty Ronning as adapted by Paula Deen on www.foodnetwork.com

Prep Time: 15 minCook Time: 30 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 48 small bars or 24 larger bars

Ingredients

Bars:

* 4 eggs

* 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

* 1 cup vegetable oil

* 15-ounce can pumpkin

* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

* 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

J's November Performance!

My hubby, J, performed with his partner at our dance studio's recent anniversary show. The did a beautiful waltz! Enjoy!

Halloween Decor and Visit to the ER

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday. However, J's excitement for getting the house ready for any holiday really rubs off on me. We DO enjoy handing out candy to trick and treaters. It's one of our favorite things we get to do every year. We play music, enjoy food and drink, and greet the kids when they arrive. It's a tradition we REALLY enjoy!=)

Saturday, we decided to carve pumpkins. I had a fundraiser that morning and a football game watch party that afternoon, so we planned to do it that evening. Here are some clips from the day!

Before you get to one picture in particular, I'd like to note the following: 1. Yes, I know how to properly cut a vegetable. 2. It was an accident. I don't even remember moving my hand from it's proper location on the vegetable to where it would have been in danger. I think I was talking to J.

Now, you may proceed=)

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That morning, we noticed we had the PERFECT Halloween photo op! One of our little black kitties curled up right behind the pumpkins we had set out for the evening.



Later that evening, J started out little "carving party." He has such a cute smile!=) I love how crazy his hair got!



This is where I had my accident. Before you judge, please re-read the disclaimer above. This picture was taken after we got back from the ER and had my hand stitched up. Not fun.



This is the final product of our decorated front porch. We are just now acquiring fall decorations, and our collection will grow throughout the years. Right now we have our front door decoration and the little pumpkin we placed on our mantel (bottom picture). Next year, we hope to add a few more pieces.

Pure Greatness...

I've dancing in a showcase in December. I have danced in competitions, but I have never danced in a showcase. I'm working through being nervous and trying to put that in the past. Praying and getting in my head and working through the thought processes that occur when I'm nervous have been helping. I'm very sure that God is responsible for that too! I can't do that on my own!

Watching my favorite dancers helps me get more excited than nervous. SO...here are the videos from the amazing latin stars Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagorouitchenko at the 2009 World Super Stars Dance Festival. Bless you lovely people for giving your gift of dance to the world. You are amazing.

Cha Cha


Rumba


Samba


Paso Doble


Jive

Trip to the Vet

J and I had annual family trip to the vet last weekend. Poor little Sophia had a rough time with her shots! Usually Vit doesn't do as well, but he was a lot more relaxed this time.

We are working on implementing a new way to feed them. Currently, Sophia will eat her food AND Vit's food. Sophia could lose a little weight and  Vit could gain some. SO, the Vet is having us put them in separate rooms for 15 minutes twice a day to eat their food separately. The Vet thinks this could be just what they need. 

Here's a pic of them looking out the window. I thought their little tails were super cute!

27th Birthday!

A little over a week ago, I celebrated my 27th birthday with my husband J, my Dad, and my brother, A. We had a really nice dinner at a seafood restaurant in a nice hotel close to where our home is. We had a wonderful weekend visiting with family!

My Dad and brother came down the Friday before with gifts from my family! I was so happy to receive more of our wedding china & crystal, a wonderful photo album, and some additional goodies including MUCH appreciated money!! I also received a wonderful card and present from my in-laws a few days prior!

ALSO, this past weekend J and I got some additional time to celebrate my birthday with just the two of us. We went and had a nice lunch and J then took my shopping! He's such a nice hubby to shop with! We picked out a pair of jeans, two tops, and and a nice sweater jacket to go over tops when it gets cold this season.

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Some of my family, my husband, and I at the restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner!



We all walked around the hotel after dinner. We came to a spot that we thought looked like a perfect engagement location. We decided to act one out! That's how we roll!=)

Tomorrow's my birthday!

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday! I am celebrating by going to a nice dinner with my hubby and a few of my family members.

Just so this post is not all about me, here is a funny picture of my dance instructor in a tree in our backyard. My hubby, J, and some of our friends decided to try to make a zip line one night while we had a small get-together at our home.

No, it wasn't successful.....but it sure was funny! (Can you see him right by the rope?)

Oh, to be there again...

So this time last year, J and I were still on our honeymoon! We went on a cruise to Nassau and Key West. We ate some good food, got some sun, and had some neat experiences on our excursions!

We did some really cool things on our honeymoon. I'll have to say that my FAVORITE was getting to get in the water and play with dolphins! I had waited my whole life to do that! Unfortunately, the only picture we have from that is in a frame in our office. We weren't allowed to take cameras in, but they had a photographer on staff that took a picture of us.

Here are some of my favorite honeymoon pictures...

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Hanging out at a beach in Nassau...



We had a blast parasailing in Key West!




Out on the town in Key West...




Here is a picture of formal night on the cruise! This is actually one of my favorite pictures of us!

Fun with Facial Hair

So J comes home and wants to shave off his beard. He wanted me to do it and here's what happened.

So...here are the pictures and my ever-so-hilarious captions!

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Country J

Killer J

Crazy Chainsaw J

"Hello my name is Carlos"

"Hi, I'm Fred and I like cats!"

Clean Shaven J

Our very first wedding anniversary!

J and I celebrated our very first wedding anniversary yesterday! Here are a few pictures of our very first anniversary weekend!

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On the Saturday morning before our anniversary, J and I had just unwrapped the top layer of our wedding cake! We set it out in the fridge for 36 hours then set it out in room temperature for 5 hours......results of the taste test are below!

J discovered his present earlier than planned. (It was too big or I would have hidden it better!) He really did ask for a chalk  board! He wanted to be able to draw out his ideas before he carved them. He's very much into woodworking.

J asked me what I wanted for our anniversary. I told him I would like for him to pick out a nice perfume for me. He did a wonderful job! He got me a wonderful set of perfume and lotions!=)

After our wedding, I had my wedding dress, veil, garter, and ring bearer pillow professionally cleaned and preserved in a museum quality preservation box. I was instructed to take it out of the box once a year to let it air out. We decided to take it out on the day of our anniversary and make it an annual tradition to do it on our anniversary. It was so special getting to see it again!

After we put my dress in its box for another year, we decided to go outside, take a nice walk, and enjoy the weather. The day was as beautiful as it was on our wedding day! The weather was sunny with a few clouds, and the temperature was warm, but not too hot. There was also a nice breeze that made it a perfect day to go on a walk! We walked down to a friends house and hung out for a little while before returning home to take a short rest before dinner.

J had made reservations for us to eat dinner at The Melting Pot for our anniversary. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed our dinner! 

When we got to out table, these flowers were waiting on me! J had them delivered to our table before we arrived. They are GORGEOUS!

After dinner, we came home to watch our wedding video and enjoy some treats: chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, and...the top layer of our WEDDING CAKE!!! It was so wonderful getting to watch the video and relive our wedding day!

After one year of being frozen, our cake thawed out nicely and tasted just as good as it did on our wedding day! We were so excited that it tasted so yummy!

Overall, we had a WONDERFUL first anniversary! We looked forward to a lifetime of anniversaries to come!

As that day approaches...

Our first wedding anniversary is only two days away! I can't believe it has almost been a YEAR!

Let week, I posted pictures from some of our wedding showers. Below are some of my favorite candid shots taken by some of our friends and family. Two of our friends, and one of my sister-in-laws, took the below pictures.

You can also see some of the professional shots in my very first blog by scrolling down the right side of this page and clicking "Wedding." It's the post at the very bottom in that category.

Thanks again to Mom and Dad for a wonderful wedding day!

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My friend Jimmy took this picture as we were walking down the aisle. I was so excited that he did! When we returned from the honeymoon, I logged onto Facebook and I saw he had posted some candid shots from the wedding. This was the very first picture I saw from the wedding! I was so excited! I love his sweet smile, my hair and veil blowing back, and that fabulous bouquet of Calla Lilllie's!



My lovely Sister-in-law, Lauren took this picture of us eating cake. J had just given me a huge mouthful! You can see I'm trying to chew! Our photographer has a great picture of me giving him a kiss right after this! It was sweet!



Here, I am about to throw the bouquet off the balcony of where we had our reception. You can't really see it very well, but it's a sweet picture because he's giving me a kiss!




This is a group of some of my closest friends in the world! I love this picture!




J's friend Erin took this picture shortly before we left to go on our honeymoon! It's such a sweet picture! I love his smile here and we both look so happy!

Showers of memories!

So, our first wedding anniversary is fast approaching! This whole year I have been thinking back to what I was doing last year. I had such fond memories of when we got engaged, our showers, and all of the events leading up to our wedding. Such a great time! We truly have wonderful friends and family who wanted to bless us!
So, I thought I might post a few pictures of some of of the showers!

My husband, then fiance, took this picture right before our guests arrived! Wonderful shower! I loved my little black and white dress!



Here is a picture of my lingerie shower. We had a casual shower at home with bridesmaids, close friends, and family. My outfit was awesome!=)

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

My hubby turned 29 on the very first day of our most recent dance competition! Poor guy always works on his birthday!


I think everyone needs a cake on their birthday so I got him a pretty cake with some tasty chocolate bears on it!



Here is a picture of his family who came down to watch us dance and celebrate J's birthday!




The hubbs and I!

WORK it!

This past weekend, I competed in the Bronze level of International Latin at the Volunteer State Dance Challenge. I felt much better about my dancing than I did at January. I was very happy with how it went! J also did an excellent job at the competition! He always dances wonderfully!

As for the eyelash post below....I LEFT my wondrous eyelashes in my hotel room when I went in for hair and makeup. I was so sad I had forgotten to bring them with me!! I ended up purchasing a pair from the makeup artist that were good...just not as fabulous as the other pair.

Here is a picture of my Dad and I!



Here is a picture of my husband, J, and I!

Wink! Wink!

I order a new pair of false eyelashes for every dance competition. They cost around $3-4. I usually order two pairs so I'll have a choice in which pair I wear. Normally, I order a pair that has worked well in a previous competition and a new pair to PLAY with. These are the ones I picked for this competition. Will I be brave enough to wear them or will I wear the ones that aren't so "out there"? We'll see!

Hit one out of the park!

This past Friday, some co-workers and I threw a wedding shower for another co-worker. I got the opportunity to design a really neat cake for this event with our resident cake-maker at work. Originally, we were planning on doing a traditional cake for this shower. However, I mentioned that the couple met on the softball field and we were suddenly inspired to do a softball-themed cake. Please note that I did not make this cake...I just gave her the design.

Each base tells the story of the different steps they took to get to this point. You'll notice that the first base is friendship, the second base is love, the third base is an engagement ring, and home base is a little baseball bat couple symbolizing marriage. (We originally discussed having a little chapel here, however the cake make decided to design this little bat couple.) You can't clearly tell this in the bottom picture, but the bride bat has a little veil attached to her baseball hat.

Happy Birthday to A!

J's brother A came and stayed with us last month. The day he was on his way down, J informed me it was his birthday. I decided to get him a cake! I wish I took a closer picture, because it has little plastic Speed Racer rings all over it. I figured that even though he was in his 30's, I'd get him a little boy birthday cake as a surprise. Ha! It was a yummy caramel cake that we loved!

Check out J's hair. We can tease it and make it REALLY high when he lets those curls grow out! I think it's hilarious!

Flowers & Den Update

J and I have been very busy lately with work and dance! However, we have had some time to make a few updates to our home=)

I mentioned to J that it would be really nice to have some hanging flowers in our front and back yard. I would prefer white (always) but I know it would be important to him to have some color. I got to thinking about it and thought purple would be really pretty in front of our house! I mentioned that to him in passing about a week or two ago. Well, J went out and surprised me with them when I came home this past Saturday! So very nice of him!! He completely read my mind too! I had this picture in my mind of purple flowers hanging over their baskets. He did a great job!=)




We also purchased new couches for our Den! We love them! They are casual, but very nice! They are comfortable to sit in (and nap!) as well!

Here is our new chair & 1/2. (Vit decided to be in this picture! He's such a funny cat!)




Here is out new couch and wall art created by J! He cut all these pieces of wood, stained them, and hung them! We worked together to place them on the wall=)

It takes two...

My week has been slammed at work! I'm also gearing up for my next competition. (I really want to dance better than I ever have at this one!) Because it has been busy, I haven't had a chance to blog anything. We are currently working on some home improvements but AND we get some new couches for the Den! I hope to blog about those soon!

SO...here is another video of my husband, J, and his partner dancing at our latest showcase! Again, we were all super proud of them!

Waltzing around...

So very proud of my J and his dance partner! They had their first performance in front of an audience this past weekend. I am so very proud!!! They did an excellent job! Rave reviews have been pouring in. I did not create this video, but our friend Mike did.

Bottom's Up!

My co-worker and I were walking across the sidewalk at work one morning and came across this crazy squirrel enjoying some cream cheese.

Bottom's up!

A Day in my shoes...

I got some new dance shoes. This means I will be wearing them as much as possible to try to break them in...at home...at work (discretely under my desk when I'm working at the computer) and at practice! This has been slightly painful at times, because I have been advised to buy shoes 2-2.5 half sizes smaller than my street size to get the best fit for Rhythm and Latin dancing. I do this every time I buy a new pair.

The pain is worth it though!=) Eventually, they stretch to become snug, yet efficient dance shoes.

Here they are: