The Start of New Traditions

This year has been the start of new traditions for me, and Christmas was no exception. This was the first year I've ever spent away from my family, and while I miss them a great deal, I had one of the most memorable Christmases yet!

We got to celebrate Christmas twice in Moscow this year, and we will celebrate it again in Boise/Twin Falls in just a couple of weeks! Here are some of the highlights from our two Christmases so far:

On Thursday, December 22, we Scott made a special Christmas dinner for Hailee. Hailee and I "helped" from the living room. And when I say "helped", I mean we watched iCarly while Scott did all the cooking. Anyway, we let Hailee decide what she wanted for her special Christmas dinner, and she decided she wanted to have Thanksgiving all over again, so we had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and rolls. Then we decorated sugar cookies for Santa and watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

      

Santa came on the 23rd for Hailee, and she was so exited when she woke up! She got an Ultimate Easy Bake Oven, some new clothes, Squinkies, a Strawberry Shortcake doll, some candy, her very own lip gloss, new jewelry, and an Olivia dress-up set (consisting of a telescope, a little red tutu, red ballet slippers, and a hat), which she wore for the majority of the day. Then she got to go to Coeur d'Alene to spend Christmas with her mama. 

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning were pretty quiet without Miss Hailee around, but I was fortunate enough to get both Christmas Eve and Christmas day off of work, and Scott and I got to spend the time together. On Christmas morning, we got up and opened presents, and then went to church, which was particularly important to me. Beautiful church too, right?

Photo Courtesy of The Spokesman Review

 After church we came home, and I got to take a nap! We had a relaxing day at home watching Christmas movies and the Food Network (which I am admittedly addicted to these days). Scott made us a champagne and apricot glazed ham and baked potatoes for dinner, and apple pie with ice cream for dessert. It was AMAZING, to say the least. It was such a relaxing day, and being away from home, there is no one else I would rather have spent it with.

Let's not forget about Laney. She says Merry Christmas too! 

Of course she was thrilled to wear the Santa hat...

...but she forgave me later.

 And last but not least, everyone needs to see my perfect baby sister's Christmas dress:

Merry Christmas, from our home to yours.

Love the Life You Live

I’m all about quotes—quotes from movies, songs, poets, philosophers…you name it. So here is my quote for today:  

“Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” 

Thank you, Bob Marley. It sounds so simple, right? But I am just now putting this into practice in my own life.

For a while, I thought I had my entire life figured out. To make a long story short, I got engaged at the age of 17, graduated high school, got married at the age of 18, studied Music Education at Boise State University for three years, and then got divorced at the age of 20, which required me (financially) to take a break from school. This, obviously, is not how I planned things to go. I have no regrets though, because I always learn from my experiences. And now more than ever before, I believe that everything happens for a reason.

It is in difficult times that we learn who our true friends are. I know who mine are and I will never take them for granted. Then, I reconnected with someone I met five years ago, and I fell in love with him. So in August, I packed up and moved from Boise to Moscow to be with him and his daughter. I like to think of my life here as a fresh start. I’m taking a break from school (only taking online classes) and working full time at Hastings, and I am being 150% honest when I say that I have already met some truly amazing people in just the 3 months I have worked there. 

I don’t know what my next move is, and for the first time in my life, that doesn’t bother me. I am content right where I am...because this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now. For the first time in a long time, I feel at peace. This isn't to say I didn't leave anything behind. I left a great deal in Boise. The majority of my family is there, and so are my closest friends. I miss them Every.Single.Day., but it makes the time I get with them now so very, very valuable.

I promise all of my posts will not be this lengthy, but I had to get you caught up on the recent happenings of my life somehow. ;) All of this to say...meet my new-found happiness: