Warning: this is a very (very) long post

I'm going to resist the urge to start out with what is probably the #1 thing said on a blog.  (Or anyways, any blog I've ever done, ha!)  "Sorry I haven't posted in forever...life has been really busy!"  Blogging simply isn't at the top of my list of priorities, so if you are one of the faithful few who follows this blog, I'm sure you'll get used to my sporadic posting, so I won't apologize.  :)  There is so much life to live and I would rather spend the majority of my time living it than writing about it. Anywho.

Life has been bursting full and good.  Here's what I've been up to:


--- Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving was awesome.  It was so great to have my big brother Brandon home for Thanksgiving, and have my grandparents here.

So much to be thankful for this year, as always. A few things I'm thankful for...

~Having Bran home for Thanksgiving
~Everything God's done in my life this year.  It's been the hardest, but best, year of my life.  A whole lot of tears, and lots of laughs.  Looking back I can see God's goodness all over everything.  He's. So. Good.
~My amazing family.  I love them all so much.  So much!  In fact, the other day when they were late to come home  (we're talking an hour and a half late)  and not answering my many phone calls, I got myself worried enough that I decided to go looking for them.  In the ranger, because I couldn't find the car keys.  I know, so smart!  Our road is pretty icy and I've done some slipping and sliding on it, so I was imaging them all unconscious in the ditch.  I was telling myself everything was fine and I was just being overly-dramatic (I do do that sometimes, believe it or not) but I had to at least drive down our road and check.  They pulled in as I was just starting down the driveway.  I felt really retarded, and then I burst into tears and was like "I was worried you went in the ditch and I was coming to search for you...in the Ranger....and I'm so glad you're alive and I'm not an orphan."  Thankfully my family is used to me and they were sweet and let me cry on them, and then explained that they stopped to do some shopping, and the phone was on vibrate.  It was really all so ridiculous, and I knew it was, but when they pulled up the driveway I was reminded how much they all mean to me.  Forget everything, the relationships are what matters, right!?  Anyways, where was I???
 ~Coffee.  It is my BFF.
~The Bible.
~My puppy Sasha who brings much joy and slobber to me :P
~All my amazing friends...
~My dear friend who just got engaged to an awesome guy...so happy for them!  She sent me a picture of her ring and I was laughing and crying and screaming all at once.  She asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, and I'm so honored and blessed!  Looking forward to her wedding this winter!
~Another awesome friend who has been my life saver this year.  The kind of friend that I can text a complete I'm-freaking-out-HELP text to and she texts me back, "Take a deep breath.  Now let it out real slowly.  Everything is going to be OK" and then goes on to encourage me that everything really is going to be OK.  Love you, Ena. :)
So many more but I've probably said enough.  :)


---Vacation!  We went on vacation to Breezy Point the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was awesome!  So blessed to have friends who will take care of the many critters while we're gone, it's no small task!  It was also fantastic to have my Grama along.  We have too much fun with her!  We laugh until we cry, and dance down the sidewalks because we don't know anyone around there anyways!  Here's a few (ha) pictures.

Carmel Latte.  'Nuff said.  

These two beauties are my mom and Grama.  <3

This is Mom's favorite store in the history of ever.  Sometimes we are there for a long time.

That's my "I'm-so-tired-but-now-I-have-coffee-so-I-think-I'm-going-to-survive-face-selfie.  :P

We went to the game room where I used every quarter I could dig out of my purse, and I may or may not have turned a few dollars into quarters too.... we played air hockey until I was literally dripping in sweat.  That stuff is intense!  :}

Another Breezy Point tradition, one night we all go out to eat at a fancy restaurant.  I love it. We get all dressed up (I wore my one and only dress, ok?!) and it's probably the one time every year when I wear lipstick.  Because I hate lipstick.  That is, I hate the feeling of it because I feel like I'm eating lipstick.  But this is the night I eat lipstick, just because.  And above was my dinner.  It was chicken something or other...tortellini?  That might have been it.  It was delish, but there was no way I could finish it - it was a huge serving!  

My adorable parents.

Grama, Jonny, me, and Ben.

Black Friday shopping!  

I saw Grama kissing Santa Claus! =0  =)

We went on a sleigh ride in a wagon.  It was super fun, even though it was freezing!

Ben and Jonny got to sit up front with the driver.

Getting pizza for dinner.

Please don't ask me why we were eating ice cream when it was freezing, literally freezing, outside.

And we wrapped up Black Friday with watching fireworks.

Went swimming every morning.  A blast!  

The boys and Dad.

I know what you are thinking.  "Why is she plugging her nose?!"   Because my nose doesn't keep out water, that's why.  Trust me, I have tried to learn to swim underwater without plugging my nose and all I do is drowned my brain.  And I forgot my nose plug.  Yes, I have a nose plug.  I bought it, so apparently there are other special people out there who have holes in their noses too.  That nose plug is the best. thing. ever.  And I forgot it.  So, I'm plugging my nose.  Everyone got it?  :D

At the coffee shop.  

Sitting around drinking coffee.  <3  It was an awesome vacation! 

 ---PUPPIES!  So. many. puppies!  We have a litter of eleven pups right now that are around five weeks old and so adorable it hurts.  We gave them all baths the other day and I took pictures of each one.  Puppy photo shoots are a blast, but by the time we got to number eleven, I was ready to call it a day.  Every once in a while I'd get a really photogenic pup, but most of the time it was sifting through fifty photos to find five that aren't blurry.  =}  Here are a few of the good ones...

"LOOK AT THE CAMERA AND SMILE."  ;-)

~Christmas!  It's the most wonderful time of the year, folks!  I love this season!  We've been decorating for Christmas and last week we rocked around the Christmas tree, which means we decorated it, while drinking eggnog and listening to good music.

The boys and I have little Christmas trees in our rooms, and I've been wanting to get a new one the last few years because mine just wasn't big enough for my growing stash of ornaments.  This year I majorly splurged and finally bought a bigger one.  And once I got it home and out of the box I realized it was a lot bigger than I thought...but it's perfect!  Love it. :D 

This is an ornament a little guy I babysit made for me. PRECIOUS!  :)

I'm going to stop while I'm ahead, because I'm probably not anymore, and there's simply too much to catch up on for one post.

If you made it to the end without a) falling asleep, b) giving up, c) un-following, or d) all of the above, congratulations.  You are amazing.

More coming soon, or not.  Thanks for reading!  :)