christmas time in florida

I am a little bit behind on posting these photos, 

but these are a few shots from our Christmas down in Florida.  

We had such a wonderful and relaxing time there.

We had such a great time with Jason's family, I can't wait to go back!  

merry christmas!!

I don't think I am going to get a white Christmas this year...yes, I am wearing shorts...in December.

Merry Christmas!!

south bound

sweater-local boutique, LS top-old navy, pants-gap, necklace-f21, shoes-aldo

{this photo was actually taken on Thanksgiving day, hence the fall wreath on the door :)}

We've headed down south for the holiday; me, Jason, Ryan and Jack. (just me and the boys, love it!)  We are spending Christmas with Jason's family this year, our first Christmas in Florida since getting married. 

When I got off work on Tuesday, we headed out on our overnight trek to Florida...last time we drive overnight I swore I would never do it again.  Someone might become a little miss grumpy pants after several hours in a car with no sleep.  The extra two hours due to traffic never helps either.  I guess in the end it's worth it to have an extra day with family...as long as there is a back rub scheduled in by my mother-in-law (she is the best at it) (I hope she reads this).

party people

This past weekend Jason and I got to attend two Christmas parties in one night.  That's right, we are party animals.  It's been quite a while since we've had a night on the town, so we knew we had to go big or go home.  So we dressed to impress (dress from forever21 - $27, holla!) and brought our A game.  Add in all the food and drinks we wanted for free - yes please!

We mixed and mingled and boogied the night away.  I haven't made my feet this sore from dancing in a loooooong time.  I already can't wait for next year!

christmas spirit

Happy Holidays lovelies!!  

Life has kept me quite busy lately.  My co-worker is on maternity leave, so I have been doing double duty at work.  It has actually been okay though, not near as bad as I was anticipating.  The work day goes by a bit faster, which is never a bad thing.  Last week we had our client Christmas party and Santa made a surprise appearance....gotta love that guy!  Oh and I decided to give my office a bit of Christmas spirit with a little tree, isn't it just the cutest? ;)

a little glimpse of christmas day

How was your Christmas? I hope it was very merry :)

This year we had our first white Christmas in Tennessee. It was really a special treat for me because I grew up in Idaho, where it really doesn't feel like Christmas without some beautiful white snow.

Hubby had to work Christmas day at the hospital, so we waited until he got home from work to open our gifts for each other. He got me an ipod nano!! I am so excited because this will be great for running. And it's super cute too; shiny pink with an engraving on back - 'For my Princess Amber XOXO.' How did I find such a sweet guy?!

Jack absolutely loved the snow. He ran around and played in it all morning long. My brother threw him snowballs and Jack would catch them in his mouth.

Overall, I had a fantastic Christmas. At the end of the night, hubby and I felt so blessed and thankful. Although it's been a rough year, we are constantly reminded of our many blessings and we are excited for what's in store for this next year.

*i wish i could take credit for this snow frog, but my brother and i came across it in my aunt's neighborhood. isn't it the coolest?!

merry christmas 2010

merry christmas!!!

i hope you all had a wonderful day :)

just dance

Earlier this week we hung out with some friends and they 'convinced' Jason and I that we should open just one gift each.

Okay, really this is what happened. Jason convinced them to try and convince me that it would be a good idea. Little did he know that I already knew what was in store. You see, over a month ago I got Jason one of his Christmas presents that I knew he would love, but also it was something we could enjoy together and with friends. I found this gift for a killer price, so when I got the 'intuition' that he got me the exact same gift, I just decided I would play along. After all, I knew we would be returning the one he bought (hubby is not quite up to my bargain shopping skills).

This is how it went down:

I made sure that we would open our gifts at the exact same time. I was sneaky and put his in a larger box with weights to throw him off.

And then we all danced!

my weekend in review

Saturday night we went out with some friends (Kelly pictured w/me). Hubby was really excited because he got to wear his new bow tie. He is such a cutie when he gets dressed up. I think this bow tie look is here to stay. Yay! ;)

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Also this weekend, some presents mysteriously showed up under the tree. I have had hubby's gifts wrapped and under the tree for a while now, but now there are two for me!! AND there is something in my stocking. The mystery is so exciting, but don't worry - I don't peak :) Although it is quite tempting to shake a box or two.

Other events of my weekend not pictured:

• Sunday afternoon my aunt and I ran 8 miles!! This is a huge deal for me becuase I have never ran this far in my life! It was quite the confidence booster. Only a little over 2 months to the big race!
• My bestest friend Lindsay and her boyfriend Landon are in town!! I just love every chance I get to see them, since they live all the way over in California. I will no doubt have some photos to share this week since we will be hanging out again and hopefully again!!

I hope you had a lovely Monday!! Only 5 days til Christmas!!

the fire is so delightful

Today after work, I got a massage. The last time I had one was in February, it was super overdue. Especially after all the traveling I have done lately, my body has been real achy.

To put it simply, I feel great and tonight I just plan on relaxing.

On another note, our animals LOVE sitting in front of the fire. I captured a few photos of each of them; they are sooooo cute! I just love this time of year when we can put on the fire and light up our Christmas tree :)

lights and ornaments and stockings, oh my!

This year we got a late start on Christmas decorating. Usually we stay up all night after Thanksgiving, put up our Christmas decorations and then head out for black Friday shopping. Since we were out of town for the holiday this year, we had to change things up a bit.

My brother came over and he helped Jason and I out. I was so excited all night. Every time I pulled something out of our Christmas box, I am pretty sure my face lit up. I just love this time of year.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

a couple things i just simply love

dress-h&m, tights-old navy, shoes-modcloth

This is the an outfit I wore in Florida on Saturday for church and pretty much the rest of the day. I was really excited to finally wear this dress I got from H&M. I got it a little over a month ago when we made a quick stop in Atlanta just to go to H&M; we were on our way home from Savannah, GA. I just love that store!

Some other exciting news: we FINALLY put up our Christmas decorations tonight. I have been thinking about it all. day. long. I smile every time I look over and see our beautiful Christmas tree in the corner. I will be posting pictures a little later this week. Hopefully hubby will have a chance to put up the decorations on the outside of the house this weekend. I just love this time of year :)

jason's big northwest adventure

Our upcoming trip to Idaho will be Jason's second trip to the Great Northwest. But this trip will be his first chance to visit Idaho in the summer time and enjoy what I think is the perfect summer weather in the perfect summer town.

His first trip to the NW was back in December of 2008, which just happened to be our first Christmas as a married couple. He had never experienced a white Christmas before and this trip sure made up for all that snow he missed out on as a kid. We had a great time. I thought I would share some photos from that trip with you.