Ornament Exchange 2012

Get ready for Christmas Ornament Exchange 2012!!

Justine and I will start collecting names of everyone who wants to participate this year.  We will then assign partners, and you guys will buy a fun ornament and put it in the mail, and you'll receive a fun ornament in return! :)

I became great friends with some super lovely ladies through these Ornament Exchanges, so they are something I look forward to every year! Really, truly, Justine, Paige, and LW are women I met through these  exchanges and have sent met in person :)

Want to participate?! Great!! Here are the details!!

1-- You should probably be a follower of either my blog or Justine's blog so you can stay up to date with all the details and such, but it's not a requirement.    

2-- We'll be collecting sign ups starting today all the way until November 19, so help us get the word out! The more the merrier, right?  Grab our button, write a blog post about the exchange, tweet about it, Instagram about it, Facebook about it!  However you want to get the word out, do it!  Just make sure to direct them back to one of our blogs to sign up!  If you want to participate, just leave a comment on this post and make sure your email is connected to your account that you're commenting with, or include your email address in your comment.  Also, if you don't have a blog, feel free to participate, too!  Or you could start one... Blogging is super fun! :)

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3--  I think we'll stick to just US and Canada (and maybe Military bases, there are special rates for shipping to military bases, I think?? Does anyone know for sure?) mailing addresses.  It just gets too expensive to have to ship internationally, I think. :( 

4-- Let's try and keep the package between $5-$15.  Nothing too expensive, I know money is tight a lot of times this time of year.  Check out etsy, pinterest, Hobby Lobby.  There are lots of cute and affordable Christmas Ornaments out there! :)  You could even throw in some other fun Christmas Treats if you want!

5--  Have your package in the mail by December 1st.  We'll make sure to get you your partner emails by Thanksgiving Day (November 22nd) at the latest.  That should give everyone just over a week to shop.  Feel free to email with your partner about what they do or don't like.  Or just stalk their blog.... ;)

6-- The week of December 10th, come back to Justine or my blog and we'll be hosting a link up so we can write a post about what we received, then link up so we can see what everyone else got! :)

7-- Please only sign up if you know you'll be able to participate!  It's always a bummer when people sign up to do fun things like this, and then their partner doesn't hold up their end of the deal.  

So, what are you waiting for??? SIGN UP! :)

Pretty Good Shot...

This morning, I was scheduled to go to a pre-work event with our local Young Professionals' Group.

At a gun range.

I have family members with their concealed weapons permit, as well as some being members of the NRA.

I, however, have never shot a gun. Never really had an interest.

So, this morning, I went in with no expectations.

When it was my turn to shoot, the man gave me a quick tutorial on how to hold, aim, and fire. He loaded it up with five rounds and handed it over.

After my third round, I heard him exclaim, "She just hit the same hole three times!!!!"

That made me sort of nervous and I missed a bit on the fourth. On the fifth, I was back at the hole.

When I was done, the workers and my fellow members of the YPG were all over me, because apparently I'd done a really good job.........

My coworker M and I.....

 

Who knows.... maybe I've found my hidden talent?

 

A New Venture

Every now and again, I decide that I need something. Something new. Something different.

I'm a creature of habit and don't like change, so these urges do not come often. When they do, I take notice. For a while I looked into it. I researched. I pondered.

Then, I joined.

I'm officially a Scentsy Independent Consultant!

So far, I'm loving it and having a blast!

Right now, they've got a great deal on their Buddies. You buy one and get the next free. Two super cute, non-stinky stuffed animals for the price of one!

Also, the Scent of the Month..... Mandarin Moon. It's 10% off and smells like a warm mandarin orange :)

The Warmer of the Month is this fella.... Tom Turkey. He's also 10% off and a cute addition to your Thanksgiving centerpiece. 

And.... just because I'm in the mood for Halloween and Fall........

It really is proving to be a fun way to earn some extra cash (and make my office and house smell lovely). If you've been thinking about buying or selling Scentsy, feel free to ask me any questions!

..... And, because I'm not quite done with new ventures, cross your fingers, pray, and stay tuned for another one coming down the pike!!!

Night At The Movies

Friday, my cousin and I were trying to decide on something fun to do that night. On a stroke of brilliance, I suggested the Drive-In.... $4 for adults, $1 for children 4-9.... Three movies.

The kids were ECSTATIC. We loaded up the cars with chairs, pillows, blankets, and goodies... and headed to the Drive-In!

So excited for the movie (Lydia, Bella, Ella, Kate, me, and Lauren)......

Bella and I

Silly Lydie and I

Heidi's mom (my Aunt Debbie) is visiting, so she came along for the adventure!

The first movie was 'Frankenweenie'....... Take this as a warning.... Children and adults alike are not interested in this movie. 

At one point, we were in separate cars, texting....

Instead of waiting until the movie was over, we joined at the chairs for a photo shoot.....

Lydia wanted to know how long we were going to stay, "Why are we staying here ALL NIGHT for this movie?"

This is what a 3 year old and a 13 year old look like when they are bored out of their minds......

The second movie was 'Hotel Transylvania'..... MUCH better. So cute.

The besties decided they couldn't live through the next movie without sitting with each other.....

Noah and I

Anthony and I.... He couldn't keep his eyes open, lol....

They were playing a third movie (Finding Nemo), but we were done for.... we loaded up and headed out. However, we've already decided we're going to make the Drive-In a regular thing!

Convos with TG

 If you've been around long enough, you know the whole situation with The Guy.

Thankfully, over the past couple of years, the friendship has come to a good place. One where we know that if something random happens (you know.... those things where you need to tell someone because it was just that bizarre), the other will appreciate it. Or, if something really good or really bad happens, the other will be there to cheer or boo right along with you.

Sometimes, we'll talk/text/email/FB chat everyday for a period of time. Then, we'll go a couple of weeks with nothing. We're both good with this.

Our texts, however, amuse me.......

On Birthdays:

This was on my actual birthday (August 25th)..........

 

Now FFed to yesterday..... His birthday is next week and since he got to move out of Minne-friggin-sota, I didn't have his new address........ 

 

On H*ney B** B**:

He *really* dislikes H*ney B** B**, so I get an intense joy out of ragging him....

On His Inability To Draw Our Home State 

(Or Anything For That Matter):

Thursday Thoughts

This morning, I had to be at work an hour early. So, I was rushing around to get out of the house... without coffee. This time of year? I. NEED. Coffee. Once my morning finally slowed down, I made a Starbucks run.

And, it felt like Fall. At 10am... there was a cool breeze, low humidity.... it was just.... awesome.

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I'm sorry if this sounds unpatriotic, but I'm really sad that my Grey's and Scandal is being preempted by the debate tonight.

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A dear, dear friend told me she's pregnant, today!!!! I'm SOOOO excited for her.

And, I'm telling you all because they haven't made the "official" announcement yet, so I can't tell all my friends that I know in "real" life.

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Work is stressing me out (as is demonstrated by my avoidance of it at this very moment).

I get like this every Fall. But, in one certain circumstance, it's really bad.

In fact, today (after particularly awful meeting) I needed to vent to someone who wasn't in our building, but would "get" it.

Obviously, I called TG.

After being silly (because he can't answer the phone with a simple "Hello") for a few rounds, I asked him what he was up to.

"Nope. Let's not even ask how I'm doing. I can hear it in your voice.... What's wrong?"

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I need a Disney trip. Not only is the Food & Wine Festival going on, but the Magic Kingdom is decorated for Fall.

I need to make it happen and soon.

14-6 = A Super Fun Weekend

This past weekend was jam-packed, but so.much.fun!!!!

Friday night, I met up with some friends at a local wing place that has comedy shows every Friday. It was hysterical.... totally inappropriate, but hysterical. I'd been in a bit of a funk the last part of the week, so a good "laugh until you cry" laugh was exactly what I needed.

Saturday morning, we got up and headed to Gainesville. I hadn't been to a Gator game in YEARS.... and, it was Noah and Anthony's very first game!! Along with my stepdad Jeff, Trevor, and Trev's girlfriend Lauren, we were super excited to see UF take on LSU.

For you non-college football fans....... UF is historically an amazing team. The past two years have been rough, between losing Tebow, the Pouncey Twins, other major players, AND getting a new coach. Honestly, expectations for this season were pretty low. However, this team has managed to win their first four games. So, when it came time to play #4 LSU.... it was the true test. Was September a fluke or are we actually on our way back?

On their way to their very first Gator game!!!!

Again, it had been years since I'd been up for a game. It's electric from the moment you get on the interstate. No joke... almost like a caravan, heading to The Swamp. Then, once you actually get IN Gainesville? Craziness.

Making friends.......

We spent a couple of hours walking around, checking out everything going on. On our way into the stadium, we had three very important statues to take a look at.....

Steve Spurrier.... former player and coach :)

Tim Tebow..... the only one the boys truly cared about.... Tebow was a member of their Broncos (they lived in Denver before moving to Florida) last year.

And.... Danny Wuerffel (loved him).

Anthony and I

Noah and I

We finally got into the stadium. Jeff is a Booster, so we had two seats there and four extra seats elsewhere. I went with Jeff for the first half and got great pictures of the pre-game fanfair.

I loved this. I know people who can't draw the state of Florida, but this band can manage to form a human outline.

So, here's the thing. Everyone wanted this one. Really, really badly. So, when the team took the field, the stadium shook.

Sadly, the first half of the game was boring. Both offenses were weak and the stronger defenses basically just acted like a wall.

It did give me a good chance to get pictures......

Trevor, the boys, and Lauren.....

During halftime, Trev came down so that we could trade places. The plan was that he and the boys would switch out for the second half, so they could sit in the "good seats."

During half-time, they honored the UF students/alumni that competed in the 2012 Olympics. They walked onto the field Chomping!!! Such a cool moment!!!!

When Ryan Lochte was introduced.... again, the stadium shook.

Round 2 started and things really got going!!! So far, this team has proven to be a second half team and that was certainly the case!!!

Intense.....

After scoring TWO touchdowns, the boys were happy.......

.... and so were Lauren and I.

When watching football on TV (when I actually watch it), I'm pretty calm. However, in the stadium, I became a hooting, hollering, yelling, nail-biting, Chomping fan. SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!!

I wish I could bottle the excitement and the noise. At one point, my boss called to try to ask me a question. It was so loud, he just hung up and texted me, lol.

14 - 6 was the final score. And, it was so sweet :)

It took forever to get out of Gainesville, but the excitement of the city was worth it.

We stopped on our way home to eat........

..... I love McAlister's. We don't have one anywhere near us.


Sunday was a major sleep in day. We met Jeff's dad for lunch and then I went to the movies with Billie Jo. We saw 'Trouble with the Curve'..... I love me some Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, and Justin Timberlake. Put them in a movie together and you have a winner, in my book!

It was a great weekend!!!