Why I hate January! And why I'm happy to see it go!

So being that I haven't blogged pretty much this whole month, I'm here to let you know- I'm alive, and I'm so happy January is almost over (with only a few hours left to go)!

January is normally my 2nd least favorite month (August is my 1st), being that it's the start of the Spring semester at school which means it's pretty stressful at work, and because the weather is crappy in January. However, this January may have taken over the #1 spot this year. Here is why this January has just SUCKED...

1. The weather has been really crappy this January. We've had a ton of snow with wind chills in the -20 to -40. Its been way too cold and I'm not a happy camper about it. Here is a picture of my view from my office yesterday-

Gross- Right? I would say so.

2. It's the start of a new semester, so that means my wok phone and email is being blown up by students who have waited to the last minute to get admitted to school and/or get registered for classes.

3. Being that weather has been so crappy- we had 4 days of school/ work cancelled this month,which would normally be pretty awesome; however, it just added additional stress on to work because there were less days to deal with student issues before the semester started.

4. It's after the holidays, so there isn't anything is fun or exciting going. I really do like being social, but January is a hard month to make plans with people because of the weather, and because everyone is a little light on money being after the holidays.

5. And most importantly- this January has come with many loses of love ones. I know many of my friends have had family members pass away this month. That is always hard on your soul when people leave your life. This month alone I have went to 2 wakes and 1 funeral. Now, I'm lucky because most of these were for people I wasn't personally very close to, but it's still hard to see your friends and family going through these loses.

So now you understand why I've been MIA this month. With all these things stacking on top of each other, I'm ready for a fresh start of a new month. Even though they are calling for more snow tomorrow (5 to 9 inches), at least I have no plans and I can just stay home and cuddle on the couch with the hubby and kitty; which sounds like a great way to start off the new month to me!

Have a great weekend everyone! Keep safe and stay warm!

Furry Friends Friday

I have been reading other blogs for a long time, and I love when people have a "theme" on different days of the week, so I thought I would start my own- Furry Friends Friday. I mean who doesn't love a cute fluffy ball of fur to start your weekend off right.

This week (of course) I'm using my fur baby to express my current feelings.

(Mom- Why are you taking a picture of me?)

 

Yeah, that's right- I'm feeling fat (got to love all the holiday food), lazy (because it's 10 degrees outside and all I want to do is be on that couch with my blanket), and not really assumed (because I had to go back to work).  I'm hoping that I can fully recharge over the weekend and be ready for the craziness that January come Monday.

 

Have a great weekend (and keep warm- for those of us in the Chicago & Michigan)! 



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!