and it's January 9th

Well today was my last first day of school. After over 20 years of getting up and going to school everyday, I am not quite sure how I feel about being so close to the finish line. I don't think it has really hit me yet but I expect a combination of relief, accomplishment, satisfaction, fear and anxiety will arise in the next few months. I am so thankful for the opportunities I have been given to further my education. I have made great friends, been taught by inspirational individuals and even learned a little along the way. I am excited to see what doors will open for me following graduation and the bar exam, but I won't get ahead of myself and am going to attempt to push through the home stretch this last semester.

Today is as I am sure all of you know the BCS national championship game. My whole family, excluding Kevin, me, Charles and Dixie who are holding down the fort in Birmingham, has traveled to New Orleans for the big game. Now, I am going to let you in on a little secret: I couldn't care less who wins tonight. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy SEC football and I will spend a Saturday watching games with the best of them (This is probably a good thing seeing as how I married a Houston). I have even been to a national championship game. In 2010, my dad and I traveled out to Pasadena to watch Alabama take on Texas.

All that being said, my love of football comes from the way it can bring people together. My fondest football memories involve friends and family, good food and good beer. When my dad and I went to Pasadena, the trip was special because we had the opportunity to spend time together and explore a new city. Who won a football game had no bearing on how special our trip was. Since meeting Kevin, I have been to several Auburn games. We have seen Auburn play Kentucky in Lexington, been to an SEC championship game at the Georgia dome, stayed in a game day condo in Auburn, watched my alma mater lose to the tigers in Jordon Hare, and sat in a Super Suite for the Chick-fil-a bowl. While Auburn won each of the games, the score of the game is not what made the games special. What makes each of these experiences special is being with my husband and spending time with good friends. What a bunch of eighteen and nineteen year olds do on a football field is immaterial but the memories you make with family and friends watching said eighteen and nineteen year olds will last you a lifetime.

So tonight, I hope all the fans, keep things in perspective. Have fun, be safe, and savor the moment. Be grateful for another day with the people you love. Wherever you are and whoever you are with, Geaux Tigers, Roll Tide and cheers. May the best team win!

Here are a few pictures from our to San Diego, LA and Pasadena two years ago

Done!

This is how Charles and I feel about my exams being over...

Dogs Do the Darndest Things

So last night after my first exam, I decided to take the night off to enjoy some time with my husband and pup. Kevin and I went to a great dinner at Sumo where as silly as it may sound, we were excited the waitress we usually have recognized us. It is the closest either one of us have come to being regulars at a restaurant and that felt nice. We then came home and piled up on the couch for some good TV while Charles enjoyed a raw hide bone we got him at the grocery store. At some point during the evening, Charles started up the stairs (which if you know Charles is never a good thing because he gets into mischief when no one is watching him- when the cat's away, the mice will play type scenario)

Doesn't the look on his face just scream, "What???? I'm not doing anything." Well, before he reached the top, he heard Kevin say "Take Chuck for a Walk?" If you read our last post you know, Charles loves to go on walks, morning, evening, rain or shine. The thought of going on a walk makes his day. As soon as he heard the word "walk," he did this.

Stood up straight, ears perked up. Charles was ready to go. And before he bounded down the stairs (I swear our 28 pound dog runs like a Clydesdale horse), he did this

All this to say, I think Charles definitely knows when we ask him if he wants to go for a walk, and the thought of going for a walk makes him very happy!

Back to the study grind. Praying today Charles gets over his "dogsomnia." I don't think Kevin and I have had an uninterrupted night of sleep since Thanksgiving.

Charles's Favorite Things

I'm not a huge Oprah fan but I think she used to do a Favorite Things show every year around Christmas. This post will be dedicated to a few of Charles's Favorite Things as well as a few of our favorite things that help keep Charles out of our hair! This post could probably also be titled, "Things We Wish We'd Known Before We Got a Puppy."

5. Rawhide bones- Charles can chew on a raw hide bone for hours. If you have a puppy or are thinking about getting a puppy, you should probably take stock in rawhide. I only wish we had realized this months ago before Charles feasted on shoes, rugs, window sills, couches and coffee tables. Oh well, we live and we learn!

4. Stuffed animals- Charles loves a good stuffed animal. The only problem with stuffed animals and puppies is if the animal is not durable, the puppy can easily destroy it making a mess of the house. Charles destroyed a Build a Bear while I was at school one day, and our house looked like a white Christmas by  the time I got home. Our favorite stuffed animals for Charles right now are made by Kong and are pretty durable. He actually has this exact toy but his is not in such good shape. Charles's monkey has been "loved"

3. Snuggling- Charles loves to pile up on the couch or the bed and take a good nap. I like to think its good preparation for having a baby one day because he will lay in my arms and snore ever so softly. Let's just hope the garbage truck doesn't make a drive by or anyone has to sneeze- these two things are sure to awaken Charles from his slumber.

2. Taking walks- We hang Charles's leash on the coat rack by the front door. When its time to talk a walk, we ask him, "Charles, where's your leash"? His ears immediately perk up, and he runs over to where his leash is. There are lots of other dogs in neighborhood that Charles likes to visit with on his walks, and we enjoy taking walks to help us stay in shape. Walks also help Charles get rid of some extra energy and ensure a good nights sleep for all. After dinner walks are one of my favorite things to do with Kevin and Charles.

And Charles's number 1 favorite thing is.....................

1. Cape Cod Potato Chips- I know this may sound strange but Charles LOVES potato chips. He can be napping upstairs and hear someone rattling a chip bag and come dashing down the stairs to beg for a snack. Really Charles likes any chips, but I like to kid Kevin that Cape Cods are his favorite. We tossed around the idea of giving him a bowl full on his birthday but decided that might not be a good idea after he had a little bout with colitis. For now, Charles will have to live with stealing an occasional one or two when we are enjoying Cape Cods as a snack.

What are some of your favorite things this holiday season?

Christmas Musings

Well I am in the full swing of exam preparation. Its hard to believe I only have one semester left before I will be done with school forever and start my journey into the real world. Since I am in the midst of exam preparation, true to form, I am looking for anything to distract me from studying. The past few days preparations for our first married Christmas have been just the ticket. Kevin has been a great help and has indulged me in my Christmas decorating ideas as well as making numerous trips to Hobby Lobby and hanging out the window trying to get the wreaths "even" in the freezing rain.  Here are a few Christmas things that are making me smile right now

1. Christmas cards- my family was never one to do Christmas cards, so this year is my first Christmas card ever to send. My uncle Steve, who is an amazing photographer, snagged a picture of Kevin, Charles, and me on Thanksgiving. We uploaded the picture to www.shutterfly.com and created our Christmas card there. The cards turned out really cute and we got them three days after we ordered them. Last night, I postponed my studies to address and stamp the cards. They are in the mail and on the way.

2. Christmas candles- I love candles. Yankee candles are probably my favorite and this year we used some of our wedding gift cards to buy two; a Christmas Cookie one for the kitchen and a Mistletoe one for the dining room!

3. Decorations- Last year during finals I was really stressed (Who am I kidding? I am always really stressed during finals and my husband is a saint!) and Kevin went to Target one night and bought us a Christmas tree as a surprise. We are slowly accumulating a collection of ornaments and had a great time decorating the tree after the Iron Bowl. Luckily, Charles doesn't seem too interested in the tree, but we hung all the ornaments up high in case he changes his mind. We also received a few decorations as wedding gifts and have added a few to our own collection!

4. Hobby Lobby- Hobby Lobby is probably one of Kevin's least favorite places and I have a love hate relationship with the place. It seems it is always crowded in there and the aisles are way too narrow. However, we did brave Hobby Lobby a couple of times to buy some outdoor decorations and some materials for Christmas crafts. They are having a really good 50% off sale on all Christmas decor right now if anyone needs anything.

5. Wreaths- I love the classical evergreen wreath with a red bow look. On one of our trips to Hobby Lobby we purchased wreaths and bows for our dormer windows. Little did we know, hanging the wreaths without a ladder would be a challenge. After a few hours, dropping the wreaths out the window numerous times and lots of laughs, we finally got the wreaths hung (I think they are actually even!)

6. Christmas crafts- Pintrest has also been a good finals distraction, and I am proud to say I have completed my first Pintrest craft project. I made a Peppermint wreath. It was so easy and looks great on our fireplace. Here's how you do it:

Supplies
1. Straw Wreath (You can get this at Hobby  Lobby for $4.99)
2. 90 feet of ribbon (We used sparkly red from Hobby Lobby for $7.99)
3. 6 small bags of peppermints (You could probably get away with 3 big bags)
4. Hot glue gun

Wrap the wreath in ribbon. It doesn't matter if it is completely covered because you are going to be gluing peppermints all over it anyway. Use a hot glue gun and glue peppermints around the wreath. I did three rows starting on the inside and moving outwards. Let the wreath dry and hang it in a place of your choosing. A note of caution, the peppermints make the wreath really heavy. We hung ours on a suction cup hook above our fire place, and the wreath was too heavy. It fell and knocked down part of our nativity scene. Luckily, hot glue gun to the rescue and we were able to repair most of it.

I'm looking forward to trying out some Christmas baking, but I think that will have to wait until finals are over. Happy holidays to all!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family. Charles and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have had a very fun few weeks following the honeymoon.

Charles has been very busy. The weekend after the honeymoon, we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Drew, Michael, Rachel, Christopher and my mom. Michael was very excited to find a green pumpkin which Christopher promptly told him looked like a cucumber. Kevin and I proceeded on to Auburn to go to the Ole Miss game with our friends, Wes and Jill, and Charles got to spend the night by himself at his grandparents for the first time!

We also got to spend a weekend at the lake and Charles got to join us. His adventuring consisted of escaping through the screened-in-porch and making us chase him up and down the street for over an hour. By the time we finally caught him, he was exhausted and so were we.

We were able to spend Thanksgiving with both the Jayne and Houston families. Thankfully, Charles was invited to both Thanksgiving parties. I think between playing with Drew and Michael, all the travel and getting to run around in both his grandparent's backyards, Charles is officially worn out.

This year, I have so much to be thankful for, but I think i can narrow it down to a short list for here.

1. I am thankful for my new husband and our wonderful home (which I am very excited is almost completely decorated for the holiday season). I am thankful for the everyday things we get to do together like folding laundry, cooking dinner, and taking Charles for walks. Chores don't seem quite as onerous when you have someone to do them with.
2. I am thankful for my family and all the hard work they put into making our wedding day special. Even though things did not go exactly as planned, we still felt so loved on our wedding day. I am very thankful for the health of all my family members and the opportunity to spend time with each of them this holiday season. 3. I am thankful for the new family I became a part of when I married Kevin. I am thankful for my in-laws, brother and sister-in-law and sweet little niece. 
4. I am thankful for our wonderful friends who surrounded us with love and support prior to our wedding, at our wedding, and have continued to love on us following the wedding. I am thankful for fun times with good friends and Kevin's friends who have become my friends as well.
5. I am thankful for the 28 pound ball of fur who always brings a smile to my face and turns 1 year old this month. I am thankful for his energy. I am even thankful when he shreds toilet paper and newspaper because I know one day, he probably won't have the energy to do this anymore.
6. I am thankful for this holiday season and the times we will share with family and friends. I am thankful for the reason we celebrate Christmas time.

May everyone enjoy every minute of their holiday season and may the reason for the season not get lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, holiday get togethers and final exams.

Here are a few new pictures of sleepy Chuck after lots of Thanksgiving excitement and too much turkey:

And We're Back!

Well, we took a bit of a break from the blogging world for a major event in the life of the Houston family:

Kevin and I got married on October 15, 2011. While things did not go quite as planned, we still had a wonderful day surrounded by our family and friends. Our wedding story had a happy ending and our lives together a perfect new beginning. Following a relaxing honeymoon in New England, we have returned home to begin the newlywed phase of our lives.

Not to worry, Charles kept very busy during the wedding and honeymoon weeks. During the actual wedding weekend, Charles got to reunite with Maggie at her house. While we instructed Charles not to leave any surprises, a little bird told us he left one in Makenzie's room. Sorry, Makenzie. Kevin, Charles and I then spent Sunday night at home before we left for the honeymoon. Needless to say, I think the wedding weekend wore all of us out!

While we were vacationing in Boston, Stowe, Vermont and Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, Charles was having a little vacation of his own with his Aunt Molly. I don't think either one of them is any worse for the wear and by the time we got home I think they had bonded quite a bit (even if Molly won't admit it)

While we had a great time on the honeymoon, we are very glad to be home. Charles is looking forward to Halloween and has borrowed both a t-shirt and a cape from his cousin Minnie the Beagle. Here is one last picture that I think accurately depicts how the whole Houston family felt after the first Monday back on the grind