Adios 2014

Today I bid a fond farewell to what might have been one of the best years of my life. I recapped yesterday my Top 10 moments, but there are just so many more.

Just to recap: I....

• spent NYE with le boyfriend, now le husband sick on the couch with a post Christmas flu
• fixed up my house (a lot)
• went on my annaul girls' trip to the Texas wine country
• traveled to DC for Jenn's wedding and P!inky's birthday
• Became discontent with where my career was going and decided to make a change
• visited my sister from another mister in Miami
• started my new job
• started this new blog
• went to Napa with hubs' family
• found out we were having a baby
• moved in with hubs
• planned a wedding in three months
• turned 32
• celebrated Neely's weeding
• got married
• found out we were having a GIRL
• was double excited to find out Jessica was also having a GIRL
• praised the Lord for Allison's big baby news as well
• traveled a lot: Miami, Napa, DC, San Antonio, Orlando & Cleveland
• spent the last Christmas with hubs' family in Cleveland
• laughed more, cried more and was truly myself more than I have been in any other year

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for reading, for following me from my old blog to this one, holding one while I acclimated to a new job, new schedule, new last name and new adventures. To say blogging is one of the best things that has happened to me would be an understatement. It was brought me pure joy, friendship and a huge support system. So, thank you. And here is to 2015 for all of us. 

My Top 10

So no Christmas recap for me, although I can tell you it was spectacular, wonderful and full of love. However, today I bring you my Top 10 Moments of the year. Thanks 2014 for the memories.

10. My sweet Sophie and her ET face

9. Fort Worth Foo & Wine Festival

 8. Meeting my BOFF IRL!

7. Annual Girls' Trip

6. Getting to meet Jenn IRL and see her marry the man of her dreams!

5. Getting engaged to my dream man

4. Finding out about Baby Winter

3. It's a Girl

2. Napa trip with the future family

1. Becoming Mrs. Winter and getting to spend the rest of my life with my prince charming

Bring it on 2015!

A Caroling We Go

It's Christmas Eve ya'll! Time for present opening, Tamale dinner (its a Texas thing) and singing carols! Now, I am not one of those people who begins to listen to Christmas carols in like October, but I do enjoy a good carol or two around the tree or  at church. So, here are a few of my favorites!

















Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Cravings

So I have managed to go pretty much 23 weeks without any major, must have it now cravings. And then it hit. I was driving home from work last night and I just had to have chicken strips with gravy and Texas toast. There was no other option. So, I did what any other pregnant Texas woman would do an high-tailed it to Whataburger (after googling the menus for Sonic and Cane's).

Oh, what a glorious dinner it was too. Breaded strips with a slightly peppery spice to them, dipped in creamy gravy. And the Texas toast! So buttery and good. And then you top it off with fries. Dipped in said creamy gravy goodness.

Oh Whataburger. I also realized as I sat in the drive-thru line that I had not been in said drive-thru since circa 2004, as a 20-something undergrad. And it was just as good as it was then. Every last bite satisfied that need for chicken-eny goodness and gravy.

So, now I can sit back and enjoy another episode of Homeland with the Hubs. One more day tip Christmas Eve... Enjoy folks!

Monday Musings

Well, its the Monday before Christmas and all through the office, not a creature was stirring... Haha Umm no. I am at work, just today and tomorrow, but there is tons to do! I hope all of you have a wonderful Holiday where you may go. And I would love to give you a picture-filled look at my weekend, but my phone will not hold anymore photos and so the verbage will have to suffice.

I can however, tell you that there was lots of this....

Yup, those pups and mommy napped a lot this weekend. Its tough growing a baby. But for real, Friday night I finally made it to Cheesecake Factor, which reminds me I have about 1/8 of my slice left in the fridge! And, we ordered a stroller. Hello 20% coupon to BuyBuyBaby!

Saturday I got up for a workout and running errands. I had to get last minute stocking stuffers and such. I also made a dash to the store for some soup ingredients. I decided a cold, rainy Saturday called for chicken enchilada soup a la crockpot! Its so good!!

Sunday was full of baby prep. After church, Hubs and I set to moving and rearranging furniture for Evie prep. We are not doing a full on nursery since 1. we  plan to move this summer' and 2. we live in a three-story condo with the only guest room on floor 1 and our room on floor 3. So, we are converting the alcove/office at the end of our bedroom hallway into office/nursery. So, we had to move several bookcases and one filing cabinet to make room for baby. This was the first "big" baby prep thing we have done besides register. I could tell it was a lot for hubs to handle but he did it like a champ.

We have had so much change in our lives as of late, so poor man went from bachelor to husband and father pretty quickly. I know he is excited and loves me and the baby, but for his planning, engineer brain, this has been a lot to process since August.

So, we are ready for crib! Just two more weeks of this 2nd trimester and then we are in the home stretch.

Enjoy Christmas this week everyone!

Better Late Than Never

Morning all! I know its late in the morning, but this has been a busy couple days and well let's just be glad I got a post up. So here is my 5 on Friday.

1. Wedding cake. yes we are still enjoying wedding cake almost 2 weeks later. Its just so good!

2. 23 weeks preggo! Le bump is now more of a bump and less of a, hey girl did you eat a big meal?

3. Baby bedding. The first of our bedding arrived yesterday! I was just perusing Land of Nod one day after we found out we were having a girl, and found it! So, backstory. When I was about 5/6 years old, I did a show twirl routine to a song called The Last Unicorn, about why we no longer have unicorns on earth (hint they missed the ark). My routine had an entire ark of animals, a costume with a rainbow and a hiding unicorn. I became obsesses and began collecting unicorns. I have a huge collections of all sorts. So, when I saw this bedding I knew it was fate! Plus, its purple and grey!

4. Homeland. Yes, hubs and I have began watching the series and are slightly hooked. I could watch it all night, but I fall asleep. #preggoprobz

5. Christmas is coming! We are so close. We will be heading to Cleveland Christmas Day for what will probably be the last time. Hubs's parents have retired and are moving to Florida! So, maybe one last white Christmas for The Winters!

Happy Friday before Christmas ya'll

Growing Up

As I sat down to eat dinner with the husband last night, I looked around and took in the sights and sounds of our married life, it donned on me. We are grown up. Our conversation revolved around finances, house buying, daycares and investments. We discussed things that a year ago were not even in my train of thought! Yeah, I know I am 32 years old and technically "grown up" but man reality bites ya in the butt sometimes.

So as we sat and ate turkey tacos, one dog on his lap and one incubating a baby on mine, we just sighed a grown up sigh and rejoiced. We rejoiced in the blessings bestowed upon on in the past year.

In the past year, le boyfriend became le roommate and then le roommate became le fiance and then he became The Husband! We merged two independent people with independent thoughts and lives into one loving home.

My wonderful home I bought and loved, became a rent house. We had the foundation fixed, heating fixed, plumbing fixed and rented it within a week of putting it on the market.

I took a leap of faith a took a new job 30 miles away from home and love it! I have been challenged, respected, praised, taught and welcomed openly.

I found out that Evelyn Ray was going to become a part of our lives! I have always wanted to be a mother and after struggling to conceive with my first husband, baby girl was a surprise and blessing all wrapped into one baby bump.

We I planned a wedding in three months!

I have watched as my husband's faith in our Savior has grown and blossomed. It has been a pleasure and joy to watch him become a part of my faith family and be welcomed with open arms into my church and small group. The Lord does amazing things.

We traveled to Napa with his amazing family.

Yes, its official, 2014 is the year we became grown ups, and I would't change it for the world!

Decisions, decisions

Today we are visiting our first daycares for Miss Evelyn. It's nerve wracking. I mean these people will take care of my little sweet baby for hours during the day. There are so many choices, but only a few that work with two working parents and one mama who works an hour away from home.

We have to have a place that opens before 7 or close to and has pick-up later as well. And we need a place that is loving and kind, warm and gentle and close to home. Its so much to think of!

I have researched and gotten recommendations, but you just never know. It just tears at my working-mom heart to know little Evelyn will be in the care of someone else so that her father and I can provide a good life for her. So, kudos to working-mom who make it work and kudos to SAHM's for their work too. Either choice you make is a hard one.

Is It Christmas Yet?

I know, I know some of you are not ready but man I am. And not because I am some super Christmas fanatic, but because it means a few days off to well, recuperate from the last few weeks. I am finishing up things at work, aka lots of deadlines, and just getting ready to be jolly.

But first, let's recap my weekend.

Friday we had our Christmas lunch at work. It was a wonderful lunch, minus the fact that my body was ready to be sick. I made it through lunch then headed home to get some much-needed rest. I think my body was trying to tell me it to slow down.

Saturday I slept some more and then we did it. Yes, we went to Buy Buy Baby and registered. Overwhelming, yes... fun, kinda... husband's head spinning, double yes! Who knew you needed or didn't need all this stuff. After we exhausted ourselves with the baby prep, we did some Christmas shopping for the hubs. This is the practical Christmas for both of us, since we just had wedding and E is on her way.

Sunday was pretty uneventuful other than some church, grocery shopping, and the Christmas baking I managed. Made hubs' favorite thumprints and Jess's family's cherry walnut bars! (They are so good!!).

Oh, and did I mention I chopped about I chopped about 10 inches of hair off? Yup, I did! And it felt so good!!

So, here's to the last full week before Christmas.

Friday Five

Today I am celebrating 5 wonderful things from my wedding!

1. My wonderful BOFF and Matron of Honor. Call us crazy, and I am sure some have, but she flow from DC to be with me and stand by my side. Who says you can't make friends on the internet. But seriously, she is my soul mate, biggest supporter and sister. Love you!

2. Cake! Yes, I had amazing cakes! My wonderful paralegal from my old firm is amazing and created both the bride's and groom's cake. The groom's cake was especially special because it was a surprise for my groom. For those who don't know, he is an aerospace engineer and the plane on top is a F-35, which is one of the first ones he helped design. And, he was the biggest lego fan ever as a kid, so voila!

3. My husband. Despite being a tad under the weather, he was amazing, sweet, kind, and well I am married to him. Luckiest woman in the world.

4. This man. Yup, he is the most amazing, supportive, loving not my dad, but is the best dad ever. Thank you for walking me down the aisle and making me feel loved everyday. I am so lucky V married you all those years ago.

5. The best bridal party and family ever! Talk about loving people. I have never felt more loved and supported than I did all day Saturday. The women who stood beside me are the best.

Just bustling the dress, nothing to see here.

Owning It

Let's face it, we all screw up. We forget something, miss a typo, offend someone, you get the picture. But when did it become ok to make excuses and refuse to own up to our mistakes?

I admit I have messed up at work. I have forgotten to thoroughly proofread in my rush, or just done a half-butt job just to get it done. But when offered constructive critique, i take it. I take with a smile and a thank you. It makes me better. Its instills trust in my bosses that I am wanting to be better.

However, some people just cannot do it. They must go into defense mode. They opt for the "well, I.... [insert random senseless excuse]". Its drives me batty. You are not perfect. You do not know it all, and guess what? People resent you for not taking the professional advice.

Own it people. Own your mistakes. Even if you do not think you did anything wrong, just own it. I promise you no one it out to get you, or make your life at home or work hell.

Wedding Detox

I now know why you take a honeymoon. Its wedding detox. Its the chance to breathe and relax after a stressful couple of weeks leading up to the big day. But for us, it was back to work and back to life.

So, for my wedding detox, I have eaten cake, eaten cookies, eaten bagels and muffins. I buried myself in work that made they day fly by! I made a checklist of things to do for baby. I signed the Mr. up for a daddy class and registered for baby basics for the two of us. I am calling daycares and registering for baby gifts this weekend. Yes, wedding is done and now for phase two!

Married Monday

I'm alive and married!! The weekend was whirlwind complete with cancelled flights and in-laws who stayed an extra day! But it was amazing. Thanks again to everyone who wished us well, celebrated with us, and prayed over us. I am back at work and ready to see what this next chapter of life holds. But... here are a few pics! Thank you so much to Neely's wonderful husband for sending these to me to share!

Three Days

Well, its just three days from the big day! This is my last full day at work, the in-laws arrive this evening and its just all coming together.

Just have a lot of last minute to-do, to do! I hope you all have had a wonderful start to December and  I promise a recap of the wedding festivities next week

Monday!

Well, its Monday again and its Cyber Monday, but its also wedding week Monday!! Yes, everyone in just a few short days I will marry Mr. Right and become a Mrs. again. So, here is wedding week in numbers:

• 104 guests
• 4 weeks of pre-marital counseling done
• 10 out of town guests bags made
• 24 people coming to the rehearsal dinner
• 100+ wedding favors assembled
• 11 centerpieces put together
• 5+ hours of dress alterations done last night
• 2 cases each of red and white wine ordered
• 97 hours until my BOFF arrives in Fort Worth
• and.... 20 weeks pregnant, yes we are half-baked!
• 1 sneak peak of the dress

Hope you all have a wonderful week

Thankful

I find this post ironic because about 15 minutes ago I was heck bent on venting and giving up on life. And then I stopped, said a sweet prayer and read some posts about how thankful everyone is. Ah, perspective.

As much as I wanted to rant and rave about the stresses of my life, I realized how blessed I truly am and how thankful I should be that I can even sit here and type this.

This year has been quite a ride to say the least. But I am ever thankful for:

My love, who I get to marry in 10 short days. Seriously love this man with all my heart.

The sweet baby bean growing inside my belly. Yes, little Evie, you are a blessing. I worry about you everyday and cannot wait to meet you. We are almost half way there!

My wonderful new job and co-workers. I kinda hit the work jackpot. I am challenged, respected, and supported everyday. Despite the drive that can get in the way every once in a while, the job makes it worth it.

My supportive friends. I would not be here without the love and support of those around me who constantly raise me up and remind me that He is good and He provides. Its truly takes a village to raise a child and I have the best village around.

So, today I choose to make the best of what wonderful gifts I have been bestowed and be thankful for the many blessings in life.

Happy Monday

It's Monday, and I am back from Orlando. A recap will come tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving week ya'll!

Hump Day/Bump Day

Its my Friday of sorts today since I leave for Orlando and our firm retreat tomorrow. But today, its another day, another dollar, but lots of sunshine!

And its time for a little bump update.

ignore my work bathroom

How far along: 18 1/2 weeks!

Baby size: Sweet potato

Weight gain: 7-8 pounds, I think

Stretch marks: Nothing yet

Sleep: No. I cannot get comfortable for the life of me.

Gender: Girl. Evelyn Ray

Movement: Not unless you count digestion

Looking forward to: The wedding being over so I can move on to baby,

Food cravings: Not really hungry as of late. Although I feel the need to drink milk more these days.

What I miss: Real Clothes that fit.

Workouts: Still trying to get in 4 a week. I am not running on the treadmill anymore, just do not have the energy, but 30 minutes of elliptical or uphill walking followed my weight training.

Things that suck: Too big for regular clothes, not big enough for maternity clothes.... and trying to pack for a firmwide retreat that requires numerous outfit changes. I'm just in that awkward in-between stage. Also, tights. I love them, but man I had to get some maternity ones and just let them be big because my regs were cutting off my circulation.

Things that don't suck: Having a group of girlfriends pregnant with you all at the same time and having friends who have just been there. They are my rock, go-to and support.

How Do You Fight?

One of things le  guy and I are doing to prepare for marriage is to go through pre-marital counseling. We choose to do it through our church and we are paired with a mentor couple. We just happen to love this couple, so the process has been fun. This week we discussed fighting. Ok, communication more precisely,  but really it was how do you fight?

Le guy and I could not be more polar opposite when it comes to this topic. I mean I blog... I communicate. I am one with the words of my soul. I'm mad, you know it, sad you see it, stressed you feel it. He, on the other hand, is not so umm extroverted.

He is quiet, reserved, holds things in and internalizes them. In an argument, we becomes turtle man, kid you not his words not mine. I become the lioness hear my roar. As you can imagine this not bode well for resolving things in our world.

But what we learned is that we both want to accomplish the same goal, to resolve the conflict, but what drives our methods stems from learned traits. I learned to fight as kid to get what you want. He learned to think things through. I think I need to be louder to be heard and he wants to avoid saying the wrong things so he takes time to put his thoughts in order.

I'm sure so man of you can relate to one side or the other. However, the important thing to see is that neither of us is right or wrong. We are simply reacting how we feel will accomplish the end goal most effectively.

I realize I need to take a chill pill and he learned I just want to be heard and know that he is not blowing me off. Crazy how that works, huh?

We also learned I have a minor trust issue. No, I do not think he has lied to me, but I have a quest for the truth, I can sense when something is off with him and just have this need to know what that is. Wrong, eh, selfish, duh!

Yes, its my own selfish desire to be in control and know all that often leads to an argument, or my nagging tendency. I just want to know what is going on with him so I am not in the dark. Whereas, he is just protecting me from the junk that he deems unimportant to bring home to our relationship.

Point is, how do you fight and do you fight fair? Its something worth talking about with your spouse, significant other, heck your friends. We all communicate differently, but as long as you both know its coming from a place of love, itll be alright.

Top Hat or Tiara?

Well, its officially official, we are having a girl. Ballerinas, bows and tiaras, oh my!

In other news, it snowed in Texas, albeit rather briefly. So what did I do? Stand outside in a wedding dress and take bridal pics! Here is a sneak peak

I then proceeded to snuggle for the rest of the weekend underneath copious blankets and puppies. This is a short week for me, as I head to Orlando Thursday for our firmwide retreat. I am excited to meet more lawyers from our firm, learn a lot and perhaps catch a few warm rays of sunshine. Happy Monday ya'll!

Confessional Friday

It's Friday, its gender reveal day and well its freezing cold, but who cares! So let's get to confessing.

I confess....

• I 80% know the gender of the baby, but wait til after 5:30 today and check facebook and instagram for the announcement. If not see ya back here Monday for the blog reveal.
• I may never go back to normal jeans after maternity jeans.
• Three weeks to the wedding!
• Baby W likes Starbuck's cookies at 3pm during the day.
• The next couple weeks will fly by since I am in Orlando next week for the firm retreat and then Turkey Day and then Wedding Day!!
• I cannot decide if I want a wedding program. Thoughts?
• I have no clue what jewelry I am going to wear for said wedding.
• I wish we had eloped.
• Puppies in sweaters are the best thing ever.
• Scandel rocked my socks last night.
• HTGAWM did not rock so much said socks from above.
• Document review has grown on me.
• I have the cutest gender reveal planned ever... it will be.... legendary!

Happy Friday ya'll!

Hamburger Soup

So, its called hamburger soup, but its not really hamburger per se... I think it got the name from the fact that you use "hamburger meat." But alas, it warm, hardy, and super easy.

Ingredients

2-1/2 pounds Ground Chuck ( I use ground turkey)

1/2  Large Onion, Diced

2 stalks Celery, Diced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 can (14.5 Ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes

3 cups Beef Stock Or Beef Broth, Plus More As Needed

3 whole Bell Peppers, Seeded And Diced (can use different colors, and I often omit these and  squash and zucchini)

4 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced On The Diagonal

5 whole Red Potatoes, Cut Into Chunks

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, More To Taste

2 teaspoons Dried Parsley Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Ground Oregano

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (more To Taste)

Put all this stuff in the crockpot and set on low for 8-10 hours. If it looks dry add in more broth or for thicker stew like quality add in corn starch.

Super easy, super yummy!

The Weather Outside

It's not frightful per se, but what happened to Fall? It went from Fall to Winter here in .1 seconds. As in went to bed in the 70's woke up to a wind chill of 29! Yikes!

However, I do enjoy the addition of tights to my wardrobe, Yes I love a dress with tights and boots, Just, tights with a small baby bump is interesting. I tried to just size up, but then the rest of the tights  bunched at my ankles and knee. And the maternity ones are just too big at the top right now. So i'll take bunched over saggy bottoms.

I also love that addition of the scarf into my everyday attire. I love them in all shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. I would much rather wear a scarf than a necklace, plus it keeps my a tad warmer in the office chill. I am  huge fan of the large infinity scarf and the blanket scarf (as soon as I find a good one).

No bump update this week, as not much has changed around these bump parts. 17 weeks and feeling fine. We will finally reveal the sex of our little onion (yes the size of an onion this week, thank you bump.com) this weekend. It's been killing me not to tell you all!

Well, that's all around these parts for today. I'll be back tomorrow with a wonderful and hearty fall crock pot meal.

Vanilla or Chocolate?

So le fiancé and I began pre-marital counseling last night. We both wanted to do this so that we could be as prepared as possible to enter into the covenant of marriage. We are thrilled to have wonderful mentors in a married couple in our small group, and the husband will be officiating our wedding. It’s such a great way to open up and truly enter into this stage of our lives with Christ at the center.

Our first session was filled with telling our life story highlighting the most significant and important relationships. I had 15 minutes. 15 minutes? Are you crazy? How was I supposed to fit 32 intense years into 15 minutes? Where do I start? How do I explain where I came from, what I endured, and how I came out on the other side—in 15 minutes. What do I highlight? What do I keep out? What were truly the defining relationships and moments in my life? Think about it. How would you do this? What events and people truly shaped you whether in your walk with Christ or in life in general?

Needless to say, my story took a tad more than 15 minutes. As I sat there and opened up, I realized I had told so many parts of this story so many times that it wasn’t hard. I wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed. Le fiancé knew it all. The couple in front of us knew some of the sordid details, but I was among family, so the words flowed freely. I think everyone else was more exhausted listening than I was telling it. When I finished, it was good for me to know that nothing was new to le fiancé’s ears.

And then he began what he described as his more “vanilla” story. Ya know the old, grew up in the mid-west, two parents, house, one brother, dad built the family business variety. Its strange to hear the vast differences in our childhoods. As I sat there I envied him. How I longed for vanilla. For a house and meals on the table with my family and vacations and well ya know, the so-called American Dream.

Then I realized, my chocolate, vanilla, rocky-road of a life was unique. Each moment, each obstacle, challenge, triumph was for a reason. It shaped me, molded me—it was each of the significant events and people that led me to Him and him.

Had I not experienced each of those things my path would have led me elsewhere. I would be a different person—a different story. This marriage is the merging of chocolate and vanilla into a totally new flavor that we get to build together. It will be a mix of both of our lives, and our stories are just a chapter in the book we now get to write together as a married couple.

So, I thank my lucky stars and my Savior in heaven every day for allowing me to walk in light and darkness, for the struggles and obstacles, for the opportunity to live this crazy, mixed up, wonderful life that I have lived for the past 32 years because it has led me here. I am so happy to get the chance to start anew and have my happily ever after Winter Wonderland.