Family Visit

Last weekend my Mom, Dad and sister Makenzie all came down to visit Brian & I and to see our house all decorated for Christmas. They arrived Friday night and left Sunday; it was a short trip, but we had fun. Unfortunately Hayden and Aubrey couldn't make the trip, but it turned out not to be such a bad thing because Aubrey got the flu over the weekend-poor little thing-at least she got over it before Christmas.
On Saturday we went to Anheuser-Busch for the tour. After the tour (and some beer sampling) we went to a sports bar to eat lunch and watch the end of the KU game. Against Dad's will, we then went to the mall so Mom could shop for some shoes for Aubrey. After a short and crowded stint at the mall it was back home to watch movies and eat cookies for dinner. Somehow we only ate about half the meals we should have-we had snacked on Christmas sweets so much that we weren't hungry for meals like we should have been.
I really appreciate them making the drive to come see us! Brian and I thoroughly enjoyed just hanging out with the family.

Mom & I with Scott the Clydesdale

Family Fun

Bitter Beer Face!
Dad tried some of Brian's beer and this is what happened to him.

I LOVE Christmas!!

It truly is the most wonderful time of year!!

Christmas Countdown

Table Decorations & Christmas Cards



Treats I baked!!



My Tree!!

The tree in light

Presents!

Outdoor Lights (they look better in person)

School's Out for Holiday

Fall semester is now OVER!! I completed my last of four finals on Thursday, and all went well. 5 semsters down, 3 to go, but only one more in the classroom :) I now am on Holiday break through January 12. However, I am not totally out of the clear. A company is coming in to host a boards review from Friday 12th through Monday 15th. So despite the fact that school is out, I (and my classmates) will be at school all day everyday this weekend and a majority of Monday. It's not my ideal way to spend the beginning of my break, but since part one of national boards is coming up in March, the review and guidance is welcomed! My class (optometry graduating class of 2010 all schools) will be the very first class to take the new and restructured part 1 national boards. Part 1 used to be in August before the beginning of 3rd year (I would have taken it this past Aug and had ALL summer to prepare); however, they moved it to March of the 3rd year. Not only is it now in the middle of the semester it also has material from the previous part 2 added in. As our review instructor told us today, it will be the "hardest" national board ever administered (for optometry) because of the increased amount of material mainly and the poor timing doesn't help. YEAH :( Thus, we (my entire class) are a bit nervous about the upcoming boards and thus why the review class is welcomed even if during our break. During Christmas I plan to not even look at Optometry, but once 2009 is here my nose needs to be in the books getting ready for boards!

Brian has finished attending classes, but has a "take home" final project that has to be finished by next week, so he is still working on that. Don't be confused, his "take home" is nothing like the "take homes" we used to beg for in HS, he has all ready put in hours and hours of work and has still more to do. He intends to be done this weekend before he heads back to Kansas for the bank's (KSB) board meeting. (I will be at home, well at school, for the review course). He has worked very hard this semester (both at school and work) and deserves some time off!! We plan to be in KS-not doing work of any kind-from Christmas through New Years!

After Monday, we both will be done with all school related things! YEAH!! Maybe we will spend an evening together on the couch....I can't remember the last time that happened!!! I am so looking forward to getting my mind off of school and onto Christmas! I am so glad I put up the decorations before Thanksgiving otherwise they still would not be up.

3 states, 2 Thanksgivings, & 1 Birthday

The only good thing about being a part of the UM system is that we get the entire week of Thanksgiving off, instead of having two days off in October for "fall break" like I did in undergrad. So here are a week's worth of activities....

Part 1 -- The Kansas Half with my family

On Friday morning, after a night out celebrating the upcoming break with classmates, I got up early and headed to Kansas City. Dominic was having his LASIK and I had decided to come watch. Last minute, Makenzie made plans and asked if I could fill in as his chauffeur to and from the appointment. So I got to experience the awkwardness of everyone thinking we were together. The half of the operating room that faces the waiting room is all glass panels so you can watch what is going on. They also have TV screens hooked up to the equipment so you get the same view as the doctor as incisions are made and the laser applied.

I then drove home to Mom and Dad's for the weekend. Sunday we had an early Thanksgiving dinner at grandma and grandpa's, since it was the only day I would be back...they are so sweet! I got to spend a lot of quality time with Aubrey too. She is getting so big and learning so many new things....I taught her to dance with her arms-impressive, I know. She can shake her booty or swing her arms around, but not both at the same time, yet. I also got her to sing the "oh, oh, oh" part to Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"

I think this is her doing the new arm dancing to music on TV

Intermission--I left KS Tuesday morning and drove home to STL. I unpacked, did some laundry, and repacked to leave on Wednesday.

Part 2 -- Illinois half (Chicago suburbs) with the Colemans

Chris and Katie Coleman invited us all up for Thanksgiving and to attend James' first birthday party. Brian worked a half day on Wednesday and then we left around noon to drive to Lake in the Hills/Algonquin, IL. That evening we met up with Gary, Jayne, Laura and Antoine, who had all flown in, and headed over to Chris & Katie's for dinner. Katie's parent also made the drive up from KC that day as well.

Thanksgiving day we enjoyed the most delicious turkey I think I have ever had! (Thanks Chris!) After stuffing ourselves and taking in hours of football blowouts, we decided to go to a movie, Role Models, with the Polites. It doesn't exactly scream holiday spirit, but it was absolutely hilarious.

Our motel in Algonquin was adjacent to a whole row of stores. After perusing the Black Friday Ads, I toyed with the idea of getting up with all the crazies to take advantage of all the deals. Brian was less than excited to go with me and I really did not have a plan for what I wanted to get so I decided not to wake up at 4am and sleep instead. However, about 8am I couldn't go back to sleep and just kept thinking about all the sales I was missing out on. So I got dressed and went out by myself while sleeping beauty got his rest. JCPenney, Target, Toys-R-US, etc were literally 2 minutes away so if it was miserable I could easily drive back to the motel and climb back in bed. To my surprise and delight it really wasn't bad at all! That JCPenney was well kept and not hard to find what you wanted. Let's just say it was absolutely worth it! I also hit up Toys-R-Us since it was right next door.

After my shopping spree we went again went over to Chris and Katie's for James' adorable Old MacDonald themed birthday party. We had lunch and watched him (Katie) open up all of his fun presents. I think the highlight for James were the balloons (can you blame him, they are pretty fun), but he seemed pretty excited about all of his new toys.

And of course, a party is not complete without some cake.....or A LOT of cake. James took full advantage of his no holds barred opportunity with his very own cake. It was probably the funniest birthday cake experience I have EVER seen!

And it gets better

Must Have Been Good!!

After the birthday party we went out for Sushi and a movie with Chris and Katie while the grandparents stayed home with James. This time we saw Slum Dog Millionaire. I had not heard of it prior to that day, but it was really good-I would recommend it.

We got up early Saturday and drove the 5 hour trip home. By the way, driving through Illinois is about as flat and lifeless as western Kansas....believe it.

Christmas List

**Address is now added on the wish list. Sorry, I forgot about you California people who are so far away. I was just thinking about privacy when I opted out of the address portion**

**To cure your curiosity, I treated this kind of like I did my wedding registry. I put way more on there than necessary just to give people options (I like it all). I know sometimes finding a specific item in the correct color and/or size can be frustrating so if that happens to you, don't worry there is plenty of back up (i.e. multiple coats). I DID utilize the priority rankings so that you could see what is higher on the list if you are totally overwhelmed. :)

**In response to your comments..... a girl can NEVER have too many coats!!! When I go through a store I ALWAYS can find multiple coats I would love to own, so why not add them to the list and maybe get at least one. This is a great time to buy them too because all the stores are having big sales due to their poor sales as a result of the economy crisis.


Per the great recommendation of or sister-in-law Katie, I have made a Christmas wish list on Amazon.com. I know a few of you have asked what I want for Christmas so here is an easy way to find the answer http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2959HT8WT4PAL


When you buy something it can be noted on the list so that no one knows else buys the same thing! Also, the surprise won't be ruined because it won't show me when things have been purchased. You can view the list in order by price or by priority.

Warning: the list is a bit lengthy, I was just trying to come up with options.

Feel free to make your own list to share with us all too!

Brian has yet to make a list, sorry

President Obama!!

I did not make any political specific posts during the election because-like Oprah-I know what an influence I can have on you all and don't want to use my power to sway your vote. (just kidding)
Now that it is over I just want to have one celebration post. Last night was (in your best Oprah yell) AAAAMMMMAAAAZZZINGG!!! Can you imagine what it would have been like to have stood in Grant Park last night and witnessed that firsthand? WOW!
I have a had a number of conversations with people about the election and the one thing that always comes up is that McCain was a respectable man and has done a lot for this country. However, it was time for change and McCain was not change enough.
If you did not watch the speeches last night, both McCain's concession speech and Obama's acceptance speech, then you really should get online and see them. I was very proud of McCain for his gracious words it was an honorable speech. (Having read some of the nasty things that are being said about Obama which having nothing to do with political beliefs, I suggest they all take note of what McCain had to say and how to lose with class and dignity)
Obama's message reflected what he has portrayed this entire campaign...a leader who is uplifting, unifying and inspiring.
Even if you are not a Democrat or you don't side with President Elect Obama's political views, I sure hope that you can still look beyond your differences and really appreciate what an amazing moment last night was for this country and for the world.
A few of my favorite quotes from Obama last night:
--"And, to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too."
--"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?"
--"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America."
THE BEST: the "yes we can" portion at the end.....chills!!
Honestly you should just watch the speech yourself!
If this entire event does not inspire you, I suggest you check your pulse.
YES WE CAN!!!

Halloween

Some Optometry students took the initiative to rent out the VIP portion of a bar downtown for all Optometry students to celebrate Halloween. Pretty good attendance and even better costumes.
This is Brian and I......guess what we are (generic names, not specific people)

P.S. Jayne don't get too excited...not really pregnant, fake belly :(








Do you know?
Brian is an old man (w/ some help from Viagra if you look closely)
I'm his young, dumb, pregnant, gold digger wife.

My belly is rolled up towels stuffed in a t-shirt and duct taped to tank top.