Have yourself a merry little Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas filled to the brim with family fun.  Here are a few of my favorite photos.  :)

Christmas Stories

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of my mom reading Christmas books to me.  My all time favorites are ones my mom got from her aunt when she was young.  The first is called "The Cajun Night Before Christmas" and the second is a pre-qual called "Gaston, the Green Nosed Alligator."  My mom was the best at reading in a deep Cajun accent.  It was fun to break out the books again this year and hear her read them aloud to me and my now adult sisters and cousins.  We all laughed and poked fun as we snuggled on the couch with our presents.  What a great tradition.  

"Merry Christmas to all, 'till I saw you some 'mo!"

McCulley Family Visit!

Ronnie's family came for an early Christmas celebration the weekend before Christmas.  The time was extra special because Ronnie's sister brought her to adorable children ages two years and two WEEKS.  I was so excited to meet our new nephew and snuggle with him as well as play with our now babbling niece.  Our puppies were especially interested in the children too.  They did great with them and only wished to follow the toddler around and give her kisses (she wasn't too sure about that).  Some of the highlight from their visit included, playing a new game called Logo Party, eating at an authentic Honduran restaurant, attempting to play darts, and watching movies.  It was so great to see everyone and extra special to celebrate Christmas together.  

Peace on Earth

I don't know why, but I am super excited about Christmas this year.  It's not the presents, the lights, the Christmas music Ronnie loves to stream through the house, or even the adorable decorations we have everywhere.  I think this year just feels like a "real life" Christmas.  For the first time in many years, we are not in transition.  We are not stressed with finals and job hunting, worried about traveling great distances, or scurrying to buy gifts that pack easy.  We are in real life now.  And I love it.  It has been a relaxing holiday season filled with family and friends.  There were chaotic times, yes, but I'm at peace through it all.  What a great way to celebrate the birth of the King; with peace and joy and without pressure and madness.

We wish you all peace, joy, and happiness in this season and in the year to come.  Merry Christmas to all!

Our new nephew

We are so excited to have a new baby nephew!  He is adorable and snuggly and, hands down, our favorite little man. We cant wait to spoil him rotten.  Ronnie got to meet the little guy on his recent trip to Tulsa to visit his grandpa in the hospital.   

More baby showers!

It's in the water, folks.  You have been warned.  This time we had a lovely shower for a coworker and her sweet baby girl.  Little miss surprised her mommy by being a tad bit early too.  The shower was adorable (and just in the nick of time!) and we all had a great time.  

My birthday!

I was spoiled as always on my birthday this year.  Dinner at my parents house, lots of wonderful presents, and quality time with my man and puppers.  Love them all!

Happy Halloween, from the wild things!

Stylish Pups

The fall/winter/just-plain-cold-weather clothes are in! Don't they look dapper! *pupper love*

Wine and Canvas

Not going to lie: I was terrified to paint. I am not an artist. I am a scientist. Anyways, I did a wine and canvas event with a couple girl friends and it was so much fun!  It was relaxed g and easy to follow and my painting actually came out alright! Ronnie even hung it on our wall! We had a blast and I highly recommend trying it.

Visits Indy Wine and Canvas for more information!

Zombie Apocalypse Package!

Okay, this is for the zombie lovers out there. I am NOT a zombie lover but my husband and my friends are, so I get dragged into the saga. With the help of Pinterest, my friend Kim and I put together this rockin' apocalypse package for our friend in honor of the new season of Walking Dead. I should also add that husband was quite jealous of the gift.

It included: a zombie bowl, walking dead toy, zombie key covers, gross candy, zombie style army men, syringe pens, bloody hand gel clings, refrigerator cover, zombie snacks, zombie hunting license, paracord, flashlight, and a nerf gun (not pictured). We packaged it in a painted box stuffed with biohazard bags we snagged from work.

Just what I needed

I had a rough evening the other day after I lost a huge project I had been working on online.  So my amazing, sweet husband got me something to cheer me up.  Somehow he managed to get all my favorite colors and flowers into this beautiful bouquet!  It reminds me of my wedding flowers.  I love them  :)

Mini Vacation

We spent our long holiday weekend up in Fort Wayne visiting my grandma.  We did lots of shopping, eating, and relaxing.  The pups definitely liked the relaxing...

To be missed

My coworker, Sharon, retired this week after 40 years of service here at Wishard/Eskenazi.  We celebrated her after work at Basies and even had some of our past coworker friends join/skype-in!  Sharon will certainly be missed.  She has been my chemistry mentor, go-to, fix-it, and find-it and I'm not sure what we will do without her.

Kissing Dolphins & Walruses

My sister, Shelby spent her summer working at the Indianapolis Zoo as an attendant at the Dolphin Theater. I have to throw in that I think this is her childhood coming full circle and that maybe the six-year-old version of myself did not destroy all balance in the universe by informing her she could not grow up to be a tiger.  After that apparently traumatizing and truth revealing day, my sister decided the next best thing was working in a zoo.  Nearly 20 years and two college degrees later, she found herself in a zoo for the summer.  While the job was not at all as glamorous as a four year old imagines, it did come with its perks which she was kind enough to share with even the crusher of children's dreams.

Yesterday, Shelby took Ronnie and I, along with my parents, and our friends the McCullough's on a behind the scenes adventure.  We started out in the dolphin arena petting, feeding, and even kissing four dolphins.  They were so full of energy and personality and seemed to love the attention we gave them as they chirped, squeaked, and whistled the whole time.

Next, we ventured to the walrus exhibit where a hungry Aurora and [800lb] little baby Puk were waiting.  We fed and petted them and let Aurora give us big whiskery suction cup kisses.  I think I may have a new favorite animal.

We had so much fun at our behind the scenes encounter and learned so much about our water-loving friends.  I can't wait to visit them again on our next trip to the zoo!

Devour Downtown @ Fogo de Chao!

Devour Downtown happens twice a year.  And it is a big deal to me and my food loving friends.  I've always  wanted to try Fogo de Chao, but every time I try to make reservations, they are all booked up.  This year I made reservations 2 MONTHS IN ADVANCE!  The meal was better than I imagined it could be and we all had a great time.... well except for the unfair parking ticket afterwards, but that's another story....

Goods from the salad bar

Carnivores!