2012 Recap

Ok, I know it's a cliche to do a best of/year in review, but I had some big life events (with pictures!) so i feel the need to share. The cliff notes version of my 2012:

Went to the Kentucky Derby:

best bachelorette party ever!

Married the love of my life

the date, the venue and the happiest couple in the world all in one picture

with the best bridal party possible

the people that mean the most to us

and the coolest groom's cake ever

it was the talk of the reception!

I turned 30

Yep. 30. 

 Then we went to Costa Rica on our honeymoon: 

my favorite honeymoon picture

I started graduate school:

My first 1st day of school photo. Look how adorable I am! 

Became an aunt

Look how beautiful she is!

Went to a Panthers' game

too bad the Panthers didn't show up that night

and started 2 new library jobs:

We mean it when we ask "please don't re-shelve the books." Seriously,  don't put them back.

All in all, a very big and happy year for me! It was definitely busy, but overall wonderful. Hopefully 2013 is just as wonderful!

Here's one last picture for the year: 

Happiest day of my life

Happy New Years!

Point of Clarification

Over Christmas dr soc and I were able to visit both sets of our parents, and my brother-in-law, his wife and our niece were able to make it to my in-laws the same time we were there for a visit. So some extended family were also over to visit and to meet the baby for the first time. I travel in yoga pants because they are comfortable and those are the only pants the baby has seen me in, but the last time the extended family saw me I was in a wedding gown.  When I realized this, I figured I better put on something a little less lounge around the house and a little more company's coming over.

me: Oh, people are coming over soon. I better put on some real pants.

--I change into an older (but still comfortable) pair of jeans. They just happen to have holes in both knees. I come downstairs in my new (old) pants. This was my mother-in-law's reaction upon seeing my jeans:

mil: I see you put on your nice jeans for us. 
me: Nope, I said I was going to put on real pants, not nice pants.

Holiday Card

In 2011, my 2012 Christmas card/gift plan was clearly wedding pictures. Really easy. Do you hear what I hear? Yeah, that's the holiday elves laughing at me.
And then 2012 actually happened. There were parties and trips and the wedding, starting grad school and two new jobs, hosting Thanksgiving for 7 people, grad school projects and readings, dog fights and dog training, a half marathon and 800+ professional wedding photos to go through. Needless to say, by the time December 2012 rolled around, I decided to scrap the holiday card in general becasue I had other things to do.
Except. That this is really the only year that I can send the wedding picture as a card. Next year using a wedding picture would not only be too late, it would be weird and attention whorey. Not to mention once the semester ended I had time to send cards though. And address lables already typed from the wedding guest list. So really I had no excuse for not sending Christmas cards except that I was tired and didn't want to sort through the 800+ wedding pictures.   
But, I got my act (sorta) together, ordered, ordered a 2nd batch, and between my husband's and mine several post office runs we got enough stamps, we sent out 91 of these things:

Somewhat on time even! (though the same can't be said about the timing of this blog post...) Most people got theirs right before Christmas too, so phew! It also helps that we live close to a Shutterfly printing place so we get our orders pretty quick. And now I can say I'm a grown up and we sent our Christmas cards!
So my 2012 plan for 2013 is to still send cards. But I'm not doing the picture again!*

*ok, at least no pictures until there are babies/children. After those come into the picture you, uh, send a picture.

Icing on the Cake

me: I have the gingerbread dough made, it just has to chill and then I can make the cookies.
mike: Cool. Do we have stuff to decorate the cookies?
me: -snort- No, you know I don't decorate cookies.
mike: You don't?
me: No.
mike: Oh yeah, we had this conversation last year... (sad face)

I don't decorate cookies. The closest I ever come to decorating is tossing a couple shakes of sprinkles on a cookie before they go in the oven. If a recipe calls for icing, glazing, rolling in sugar, or any other sort of  nonsense, forget it. Which is why my gingerbread usually looks like this:

Plain. But tasty 

But.

My husband loves icing. And I love my husband. And we're newlyweds so we still do sweet crap for each other like leaving notes in each other's lunch box and finding a recipe for royal icing for the gingerbread cookies. So this is what my gingerbread looks like this year: 

Fancy! And still tasty

Yep, I decorated the cookies this year! Not only that, I made the icing too. My husband looked so disappointed when he remembered I don't normally ice cookies that I couldn't bear to see him that way so I had to. They may not be the prettiest cookies ever, ok, even a little bit pretty, but my husband is happy. And that makes the best wife ever.

Speed

The other day I left a message on our answering machine for my husband about dinner, and I listened to it before I erased it. Holy crap I talk fast. So I said to my husband:

me: So as I was listening to the message I left the other day about dinner, I realized two things:
One: wow, I really do sound like my mom.
And two: How on earth do you understand me?

Seriously, how does he?

Crown Jewel

--while watching a commercial for jewelry ('tis the season!)--
mike: would you rather me replace an appliance that's broken or get you a $600 necklace?
--pause--
me: What's the appliance? Do we need it?

Flight of the Nutcracker

mike: What are these? Oh, nutcracker napkin rings. --holds them up for me to see--
me: Those are cute. Oh, you know, I think my dad really likes nutcrackers. Maybe... for Christmas?
mike: Does he?  
me: I think so. Oh wait, maybe it's birds he likes...
--for some reason dr soc finds that hysterical, and starts laughing--
mike: What? No, those are not even close. At all.
me: Yeah, hmmm. I'm not really sure
mike: Seriously. At all. (still laughing) 

Long story shirt, we didn't get the napkin rings. And I still have no idea if my dad likes nutcrackers.