What a Day!

I have a bad habit of hitting the snooze a few too many times in the morning.  I purposely set two alarms, so I can turn the first one off and have the satisfaction of sleeping a few more minutes.  However, recently, I've become a little too good at turning the alarm off while not fully awake...

...thus, my morning started off on a not-so-good note.  I woke up at 7:10am and needed to leave by 7:30, which meant no shower for me this morning!  I jumped into some clean clothes, grabbed an oatmeal packet to have for breakfast at work, then hurried out the door...only to find that my car was coated in ice!  Luckily, it defrosted pretty quickly, and I was off.

But then when I got to work, I was greeted with a most unpleasant surprise...somehow many of our very important (with many, many hours invested) computer files were just...gone!  This gave us quite the panic, but thankfully, with the help of our amazing IT guy, our system was restored within a couple hours.  Whew!  Another crisis averted.

About half way through the day, things took quite a turn.

First, I was super surprised by the delivery of these:

Aren't they pretty??

Today marks 3 years of dating for me and Dave. :)  As my boss said, "He's a keeper!"

I really was not at all expecting them, and was so happy.

So, needless to say, I was REALLY super surprised to see this box being dropped off at my desk about an hour later:

 Looks good already....

Love the instructions! 

Pretty! 

Prettier!

YUM!

Sweetness from my sweetie!


And finally, to top off the day, one of my co-workers enlisted my help to make a McD's run for some of this goodness:

What could have been a bad day turned out pretty swell, I'd say! :)

I'm a happy girl.

Winter Wonderland

I'm not usually a big fan of winter, but the last couple weeks have been truly beautiful.  I am continually reminded of the beauty of our Creator as I drive to and from work -- from the stunning sunrise mirroring the full moon still in the sky in the morning to the blanket of snow perfectly coating every tree branch...I've been loving it!

Isn't He beautiful?

Tradition

I come from a family of few traditions.  (Last year's family Christmas gathering consisted of a Wii tournament,  no tree, no stockings...you get the idea.  This is not at all a bad thing...we have a great time, just different from what most people expect!)

But, don't worry, some of my closest friends are the traditional type.

Last weekend, I had the great pleasure of watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" again with my Andrea (all the Charlie Brown holiday specials were "must-sees" in our college dorm room) and sharing it with Miles for the first time!

Cutest pumpkin I've ever seen!

And then, Sarah and I participated in our annual "Take Silly Pictures with the Meijer Christmas Decorations" tradition.  We're weird, I know...

We actually got a head start a couple weeks ago with the winter hats....

Cheap entertainment...what can I say?

The holidays are officially here!

Ready or not...

...Here it comes!

While Facebook's all abuzz about apple cider and donuts and hoodies, I'm not ready to give in just yet.  I have kind of a love/hate relationship with fall.  I love the colors and the crispness and the apples and the cider, but I just hate to see summer end AND it also means that winter is on its way (and winter always comes way too soon and lasts way too long).  It's bittersweet, I guess.

I learned awhile back (well, maybe just a couple years ago...) that it's inevitable.  Summer will end whether I like it or not and fall will come...then the dreaded winter.  And I can be mad about it, but it doesn't stop it from coming.  Or I can come to terms with it and try to enjoy it.  It's hard, though.  I have to do a lot of talking myself into it.  So, I'm trying...but I don't think I'm there quite yet.

Summer, don't go!  I want more of this...

Dave, excited for his Stomach Stuffer burger...mmm...

View of the Bay on bike ride from Petoskey to Charlevoix

My lovely parents

Surprise along the way...c'mere deer

View from a coffee shop in Charlevoix...made it under cover just in time for a rainstorm!

 Handsome guy

 Mackinaw City

 

 Well, we had planned on walking the Bridge...

...until we got up at 5am and it was cold and rainy and we wimped out!  Dad and Grandpa braved it, though! Good thing we didn't actually buy the t-shirts! ha!

I got to ride on a fire truck! :)

Oh summer, don't go.  Not yet.

 Well, I haven't had too many words lately, but here are some more fun pics as a quick update. Trip to Louisville, KY with Dave and our friends Ben & Ashley.

Welcome to Kentucky!

 Beautiful park right in the city.

We got a tour of Gilda's Club...beautiful place! 

Some of Dave's fun photography...with a little editing by me.

Yummy BBQ place! 

Ice cream makes everyone happy. 

Me & Dave. 

Cool fountain in the park... 

...but apparently you're not supposed to play in it. :( 

 Perfect day for the park.

Dave's a rock climber. 

Why wouldn't you have crazy chickens in the city? 

Home of the Kentucky Derby...

...and the Louisville Slugger.

Awesome city...go visit if you get the chance!