sweet tooth

i had the entire week off between christmas and new years.  normally andrew and i head to the mountains for a quick getaway with our friends from chicago.  this year we had planned to go to florida to spend a week in the sunshine at my dad's house, but low and behold, plans fell through.  i was bummed!  luckily we found out early enough that it wasn't going to happen before purchasing tix. so we were stuck in colorado.  well another good thing about not traveling, is that i came down with a sinus cold that pretty much had me in bed my entire break.  i left the house only for christmas and one other day because i couldn't stand just laying around for one more day.  on new years eve, i was fine, still a little stuffed up, but not contagious so i took a field trip with my sister and kiddos!

i can only imagine having children and trying to find indoor activities for them to enjoy while they are off from school.  thank god for daycare!  so my sister planned a day trip to none other than hammonds, a candy factory in the heart of denver.  they are a local candy factory based out of denver, and sell to many boutique stores and even some large grocers.  throughout the week/end they offer tours that show how the candy is made and let you taste some of their samples along the way.  they make every thing from chocolates to candy canes to everything in between.  we had planned to go to the facility to check out the tours and see what their birthday party packages were like.  my nephew, who turns 7 this month will be having his little soiree there with his friends!  so cute!

my sis called the store on new years eve to ensure that they were still holding tours that day, their recording said they'd be closing early (1 hour earlier than normal), but made no mention of tours.  we got there with plenty of time prior to closing, and we asked a person that worked there where the tours started, and they told us that the factory wasn't in production.  fail!  what a bummer, would have been nice to mention that on your recording, because we had 3 kids in tow who were expecting a tour! gosh darnit!  they said we're playing a quick video. oo great, i'm sure these kids would love to sit through a five-minute video when they were expecting a tour! i mean in all fairness the video was informative and i did learn a few things that i didn't know, but still make it clear to your customers that you won't be offering a tour, which i might add is the only reason to go there!  because no one actually just goes to the candy store to purchase something i could have bought at king soopers!   

we ended up purchasing a few candy canes ($1 each) and a few other items!  we'll definitely go back for a tour, since we missed it this time, and hope the party lives ups to the hype!

here are a few pics!

saving in 2013!

i always get frustrated when it comes to money.  money is always leaving, and only once a month coming in! it's amazing how hard it is to hold on to anything, because we are all inundated with bills, bills, bills!  i'm hoping that in this year, andrew and i'll be able to put money away and keep it there!  believe me, we've tried, and without fail, something comes up!  when we purchased our home we got a nice new homeowners tax credit, but all that went to the wedding.  when we sold our car, and put money away, that went to andrew's hospital bill.  we're always a step behind!  in 2013 my goal, is to save! i already don't spend money on anything fun, but with these big items out of the way, i think it's completely possible.

i'm obsessed with pinterest, and while perusing the boards, i cam across this little gem!  a way to save in 2013!  i can't wait!  i'm so excited that i've already made my first deposit into my savings account!  if you didn't go to the link, here's a nice picture of what i'm talking about:

saving for 52 weeks!

i know we all want to save, because a lot of us are in that stage where we need to start thinking about the future.  heck i wouldn't be lying if i wasn't terrified at the fact that andrew and i aren't saving for kids we don't have, or that house with a yard we talked about!  or maybe i should just calm down a bit, and be a bit more patient, because that day will soon come!  or just not worry at all, because people make it work!

i plan to stick to this, and hope that as the weeks go on, i'll feel like i'm able to stash away this little amount! 

are you saving? how much every month? is is hard to stick to?  i'd love to hear your thoughts!

new year!

time is flying by! it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating christmas and we're already in the new year.  life is going full speed, and i wish it would slow down a little for me to enjoy!  as i reflect back on 2012, overall it was a good one, but we can always strive for better things in 2013.

2012 is sort of a blur, really.  i can remember the big things we did, but as far as the little things they have slipped my mind!   i started off the year studying for a gmat exam, applying to grad school, and finally getting accepted!  in may we traveled to europe (which i still haven't blogged about) for a 2 week long vacation.  we traveled across the big ocean blue for a whirlwind adventure in hungary! i hope to gather my thoughts on this trip eventually and blog about all the fun we had! truly a remarkable experience.  july andrew and i bought a car.  over the summer we went boating several times with our friends in ft. collins.  in august i was promoted within my organization which was exciting, and slowly but surely i have been making the transition to my new duties! yay! also in august, i began my 2nd semester of grad school - even though it was accounting, and i was all worried, i passed that class with flying colors (not sure what my problem was in undergrad!).  september we took a quick getaway to breckenridge with my family for labor day.  we ran not one, but two 5ks (neither of us had run an organized race outside of the ones for school).  we took on a back splashing project in the kitchen.  celebrated the holidays with both our families.  and now here we are already. 

i would say 2012 was by far the hardest year for andrew and i, especially financially.  last time around new years, andrew ended up in the hospital when we were in the mountains, slapping us with a big 'ol hospital bill - thankfully now he's on my insurance! but trying to manage and budget all the time, has been seriously frustrating, and has taken its toll on both of us.  every month it was something - bill this, bill that, car payment, textbooks, license plates, repairs.  we were very limited on the fun we could actually have.  i can only hope and pray that 2013 is much better! 

here's to hoping for health, wealth and happiness in the coming year!  we are truly blessed with a wonderful life and each other!  2013, you better not let me down, i have high hopes for you! 

this year we can expect the following:

semester 3 of grad school for me! (2 classes starting in 2 weeks)
hopefully a trip to florida for my birthday
a wedding in chicago in june
semester 4 of grad school
a wedding in colorado in june
semester 5 of grad school (yay look at me go)
a wedding in chicago in september
and hopefully a ton of other fun things!

cheesy!

my baby nephew kaleb is a little cheeseball! i couldn't help but share these pics from our holiday cookie baking day with you all!

this boy was always so serious around cameras, now he's ready at all times!

he plays his own peek-a-boo!

cheesy!

put his face into the couch....

and popped back up with smile!

we love having baby kaleb around! he's so fun and so adorable!

i am thankful for...

well it's the holidays once again, and i thought i would dedicate this post to thanksgiving and what i'm thankful for this holiday season, we'll i guess year round.  andrew politely reminded me last night how important it is, so here we go:


1. health - this to me is the single most important thing! without it i have nothing. so today i'm thankful that besides my hypochondriac tendencies, i'm a healthy girl!
2. andrew - i have someone by my side for life to share firsts, memories and everyday with!
3. family - even though we have our flaws and we can be a little strange, i have them all!
4. friends - friends near and far, those who i'm close with and not so much, i'm thankful for you being by my side and sharing fun memories with!
5. kaia - i could include her in my family one, but i think she deserves her own.  she loves us unconditionally and sticks by our side.  you may make mommy mad sometimes, but i still love you bubbas!
6. job - i love the people i work with and my place of work! from workout sessions, to birthday lunches, to happy hours to volunteer groups to adventures around, this is the best group and i'm happy to be here!  it helps pay the bills and then some!
7. the sun! - today is a gorgeous day here in colorado, thanks to you mr. sun!  you've brought joy and smiles to us all on this holiday - beats snow any day.
8. the good ol u.s of a - even though i know my little family and i will eventually leave this country for greener pastures, i'm thankful for it today. 
9. my home - today after work and tomorrow for the holiday, i have some place to go, our home.  a lot are not so fortunate to have a place to call home, and so i'm thankful that i've been blessed with the means to able to purchase a home and make it mine!
10. 2 thanksgivings - i have 2 families, and it's nice to have two days of being thankful and spending time with them.  maybe someday i'll have a big enough house to host all of us, but until that day, i'll be thankful for two days of stuffing!



happy thanksgiving!

new job!

at work 2 months ago, i was called into a meeting with our associate dean, hr director and my supervisor! talk about freak out! i went in not knowing what was happening. was i being fired? god i hope not! but thank goodness it wasn't that at all.  they had seen what a good job i had done in the two years i worked there, and wanted to offer me a promotion.  they told me all that it would entail, and i told them i'd think it over and let them know in the morning!  i was so excited that i came home and told andrew the news, and my mom, and my dad and everyone else in my family!  the next morning, i took them up on their offer and accepted the position!  it still had to be approved by the dean and the human resources department before it would go into effect, but everyone was hopeful that it would, so i was too.

after a week of the necessary people being out of the office, the job description and new salary had been approved.  i was ready for business! august 1st is when it went into effect, but i did my trainings 2 weeks ago and officially took over my duties yesterday!

as of now, i'm the human resources/office manager for the school of public affairs! i took on a lot of new duties that i will learn very quickly.  this will definitely be more challenging than what i was doing, so i welcome this change!

i still am unsure how this will tie into my future career goals (even though i feel i should already be in the future stage), but maybe it will help open my eyes to a new field that i could utilize in a future position i might hold.  so stay tuned to where it takes me!

i love working where i do, so i was happy that i was able to stay with these wonderful people, for now anyways! 

social media bragging rights

i was recently on twitter, and i came across the following article on the wsj http://on.wsj.com/MYk0Qy.
I read the article and it really stuck with me so i thought i'd share my thoughts. 

so if you read the article it pretty much describes what social media has become, or evolved into.  everyone that uses social media whether it be twitter or facebook knows that it entails status updates.  many of which people use to brag about their lives.  but what are we actually supposed to say in these updates, are there guidelines? no, not really.  people are free to say whatever it is they like, positive or negative.  what i've found about most people on these sites is that they use social media to say positive things in their lives that are happening, and rarely do i see negative unless its political or something outside of their personal lives.  i've actually noticed this a lot recently.

i had a recent discussion with a coworker who was discussing this same thing, and i chimed into the conversation giving my two cents on the issue.  i've almost reached the point of removing myself from social media altogether.  removing myself from this so called "positivity".  but is it really positivity that i'm removing myself from? i dont belive so.  like this article mentions most people's positive updates are actually bragging to their friends/followers.  i'm guilty of this as well.  i don't know if we all want to appear perfect to the outside world or what, but sharing the good things (be it bragging) helps to mask sometimes bad things happening in our lives.  unless your life is actually always perfect! because while i'd like to share with people with whom i never talk to all of the negative things that might be happening, i'd rather save those for conversations with close friends or family in face to face meetings or on the phone.

this appearance of being perfect is something that i've always struggled with.  i want to be perfect to everyone, including friends/family.  as sad as that may be, it's the truth.  i want to be the perfect daughter - so i grew up making minor mistakes, never swearing, never partying, never getting bad grades.  i want to be the perfect sister. perfect friend - which i've never felt that i've been good at.  perfect wife - cook, clean, laundry, picking out clothes, making lunches everyday. and man being perfect, or at least trying to, is exhausting!  so i get it when people only share the good.

so let me get back to removing myself from social media, and what i mean by that.  i've gotten to the point that i've taken on a form of jealousy towards others, and i don't like it.  by all this "bragging" going on, i've started to compare myself and my life to others' and theirs.  it's sick really!  i know sometimes i'll be talking to andrew and i'll say something like "so and so traveled here recently we should go", or "so and so....".  "how come....". i recently found a quote on pinterest that says: "what screws us up most in life is the picture in our heads of how it is supposed to be."  i'm creating these images based on others updates about how things such as marriage, friendships and relationships are supposed to be that i'm clouding what it actually is.  i dont know if that makes sense or not, but it resonated with me, and i thought i'd share.  i haven't made my decision yet, because i do use social media to connect with family and friends who i don't see often, but i'm not sure how much more i can handle!  either people shouldn't brag or i should deal with my insecurities!

some people will disagree and that's ok, but i found this article interesting and wanted to discuss.