Good Bye 2013 - Hello 2014!

As another year has come to a close, I reflect back on 2013 and think of it as the year of "Cruise Control" because we just really got to enjoy life. It was a year of fun-

A year filled with good friends-

And a year of big personal accomplishment for me-

 

Under 160!!! Over 30 pounds loss since March!
And for 2014, I hope for more of the same.

 Here's a preview of some the fun to come- in 60 days, we will be meeting up with these lovely ladies (and Joel) for some more fun in sun in Mexico! Maybe I'll even buy a bikini to show off my hard work.

Also, I'm excited to be a bridesmaid for Anna and Angel's wedding. It will be fun to be in a wedding party that isn't my own.

 

Past that, we'll just see what else this year will have in store, but I have a feeling it's going to be another great year! Happy New Years (Eve)!

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's Christmas time and I'm finally finding my holiday spirit. Yesterday I found myself enjoying some holiday music, baking, and some hot spiced wine. It was a great night!

Note to self: Taking hot cupcakes out of the pan can lead to cupcakes looking like this-

I'm excited for all the holiday plans that are in store for the next few days. This includes time with my family, time with Sam's family, time with friends, and maybe even a road trip to see the newest addition to my extended family-

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

The First Day of My 28th Year!

Yesterday I turned the big 2-8! And for my 28th birthday I was greeted with this wonderful sight.

The enjoys of a winter birthday. However, knowing that I didn't have to clean off that car to go to work was pretty nice. As I'm getting older, I'm trying to enjoy the vacation time I get, so why not take a day off in the middle of the week for your birthday- I mean it sounds like a great reason to me!

It was strange when I went to the gym and it asked my age and I had to type in 28. That will take sometime to get use to.

For my birthday, I decided to treat myself to some "self care" in the form of an hour and half message. It was so glorious!

 

Sam also decided to take the day off. It was nice because we got to spend a lot of quality time together, which included making cookies because his work was having a cookie exchange. He decided he wanted to make "Ninja Bread Men".

 

It was an interesting experience especially because we had to use a wine bottle as a rolling pin (that is what happens when you leave your rolling pin at your in-laws house). However, for you first try- I think they turned out pretty well.

  All and all- it was a good relaxing birthday and I'm excited to see what this year will bring!

My Sister's Final Exam

What can be better than taking a random Tuesday off of work? Answer: Adding a free make over complements of your sister! Being that Karen is in beauty school, I got to be her "final exam".

 

There was some requirements to her exam- she must cut at least 2 inches, color the hair, style the hair, and do make up. Also, we had to do "before" and "after" photos because the make over was treated as a contest between the students. So here is my "before"-

You got to love the just rolled out of bed, and didn't even brush my hair look. I figure it would make for a more dramatic "before" look. And here is the "after"-

I think she did a good job even if you can't really see the color- I got red low lights underneath. I know that having a sister who can do hair is going to keep coming in handy for many years to come.

How is it December already?

Can someone tell me how in the heck it's December already? I always have mixed feeling about December. I do enjoy the holidays and the extra time off of work, but I hate the winter weather that happens in Chicago. Oh well, I have no plans on moving so I just got to learn to deal with the weather (but I don't have to be happy about it).

So to start of December, I decided to make a warm tasty breakfast of chocolate chip banana pancakes. It was just a box mix, but they were very yummy!

 

Shamrock was a little confused on what was going happening because we never eat breakfast at the kitchen table. But he used it as an opportunity to get some extra attention from his daddy.

How cute are my boys?

Also, with December comes many family birthdays- mine included (but that isn't until next week). Today we  celebrated Sam's brother Jimmy's birthday. He will be 17 tomorrow. It's also hard for me to believe that Jimmy was only 4 years old when I first met him (that just makes me feel really old). 

So we enjoyed great  family dinner, chocolate cake, and the boys picking on the birthday boy. I don't know what it is but it's doesn't matter how old these guys get, if you put them in a room together, rough housing will ensue. You're never too old to pick on your little brother- Happy Birthday Jimmy!