What...a whirlwind!

This being our first Christmas together, combined with a new house, plus two weeks off from work for both of us...it's been a whirlwind of a Christmas vacation.

We started our vacation off with a trip to the Meyerson for their annual Christmas concert. Craig dressed up and didn't fall asleep so I consider the evening a complete success. There was a discussion afterward about how women (more importantly ME) need compliments. I don't get dressed up very often - most of the time it's brushing the hair, minimal make-up and sweats to work. So, when I DO take the time and effort to get dressed up for a special occassion, I would like the acknowledgement. Unfortunately, Craig can't read my mind. I came out of the bathroom in my special new top (onsale for 22 bucks from Banana Republic!!) and asked him "Do I look okay?" His answer, as he grabbed his stuff off the bed and was heading out the room? "Yeah, you look fine. Ready to go?" Uh...a little insufficient, don't you think? After carefully explaining to him a few days later that there are times when I don't expect the WOW moment from him - most of the time I just need to know that my hair isn't sticking up on top and there's no toothpaste on my shirt. These times occur most frequently and typically take place before we're heading to meet up with friends or to a Stars game. BUT - there are those times when it is obvious that I that I spent a lot of time and effort into looking good and I think that I deserve a little bit more than his response. He understood and promised to make a better effort.

On Tuesday the 22nd, Craig and I took Alex, my nephew, to eat at Fuddrucker's for lunch and then to the Gaylord ICE show. He was perfectly behaved and enjoyed spending time with his Aunt La La and Craig. Alex was the funniest when we were walking out of the restaurant and he struck a pose and shouted "It's Ice time!" Craig and I really loved being able to spend one-on-one time with Alex.

The next few days were spent buying last minute gifts for people and cleaning up the house. By the time Christmas Eve rolled around our tree was so full with presents underneath we had to organize the presents into the three Christmases we would be attending. For Christmas Eve, we cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu, mashed potatoes and pineapple au gratin. I had begged Craig all day to let us open presents as soon as possible, but he was convinced that we had to wait until the very end of the evening. After a wickedly intense game of Rock-Paper-Scissors that Craig won, we cleaned up dinner and watched my favorite holiday movie, Elf. As soon as the credits started rolling, I popped up from the couch, clicked off the DVD player and announced that it was time for PRESENTS!!! Among other things, I got an A&M Reville little statue thing, some Carolina and A&M shirts, new jeans, tickets to Britney Spears, a spa certificate and the Beatles Love Cirque de Soleil DVD. I got Craig some new Nike shirts, a jacket, a book on Beer, some Texas gear and the Stepbrothers DVD. It was pretty hard to find stuff for each other because for the most part...if we want something, we go out and buy it.

The next morning we woke up early and got ready for a day full of family, eating and presents. I think both of us were a little nervous heading into this day because of the fact that we had never done Christmas together, or with each other's families! We had a great time at his mom's house with his mom, MeMa and sister - we got a ton of stuff for the house...a blender, a Blue Ray dvd player, an iHome, a crock pot and bath mats just to name a few. Craig got lots of new clothes, which led me to tell him that his closet needs to be cleaned out before the new clothes go in! It was a little overwhelming for me because my family does Christmas a little smaller as far as presents go, but like Craig said...this is the only time that his family buys things for each other.

After a quick stop and nap at our house after lunch, we headed further south to the HEB area for Christmas with my family - Mom, Dad, Stephen and his wife Meredith and their two boys, Alex who recently turned 5 and Ford who will be 2 in March. Christmas was pleasant - Craig got lots of new tools and I got a squishy new set of brown towels for our master bathroom. After all the presents had been opened, we had to get dinner started, which can be kind of difficult in the cramped kitchen at my mom's house with two little guys running around. Craig sensed this and took Alex and Ford outside to play with the new sports balls that we got Ford for Christmas. Peeking out the front door while cleaning up the paper from the presents, I was touched to see Craig rolling around with the boys, both of them looking thoroughly thrilled to be roughhousing and playing ball with their favorite new friend. After a delicious dinner, we stuck around long enough to watch a little of the Mavs game, but couldn't stay too long because I was quickly falling asleep. We headed back home and quickly cranked up the spa and relaxed out there before going to bed.

Although I truly enjoyed spending time with all our family, three Christmases is EXHAUSTING!

The rest of the Christmas week was spent finishing painting the spare bedroom, the guest bath and the gameroom upstairs. Between Craig doing the majority of the big wall space and me doing the detail work, we were able to knock out those three rooms pretty quickly. I was amazed at the difference that a little bit of paint made on our bright purple spare bathroom! And it gave me an excuse to go out and buy new bathroom decorations for our master bathroom. At first, I couldn't understand why Craig was so insistent on painting these rooms RIGHT NOW, but then I realized - DUH! His birthday was on the 29th and we were having a bunch of friends over for a celebration. He doesn't say it very blatantly, but I know that he is super proud of the house and the work that we have done.

We had a lovely party for his birthday on the 29th - lots of his friends were able to come over and help us celebrate his 35th birthday. It also gave me a chance to prove to myself that I CAN throw a party and cook as well! I think he really enjoyed the party and was touched that I went through so much effort and planning to do something special for him.

School starts back up on Monday and I'm looking forward to getting back on a regular schedule...

So, we've been in the house almost on month and I figured I'd give an update on how things have settled down so far.

On Thanksgiving, we headed over to Craig's mom's house for lunch with his family. Shortly after, while perusing the newspaper ads, Craig decided he wanted to get a Christmas tree - RIGHT THEN. So...off we went to Garden Ridge to get a 7 ft. Christmas tree for our living room. I took this opportunity to get some new silver, turquoise and baby blue Christmas ornaments. That evening, we went to my parent's house for dinner and the A&M/tu football game. I was wearing my Aggie shirt while Craig was in his Longhorn gear - needless to say, there were a few tense moments but I think that he'll still be allowed in my parent's house in the future.

So, we have the Christmas tree set up in all it's perfectly matching ornamental glory. There are several presents underneath, all wrapped in turquoise, baby blue and silver wrapping paper, courtesy of Target. We have stockings that have been hung by the fire with care - mine being brown velvet and fur that matches the living room, while Craig chose a red and green stocking with a teddy bear in a Santa hat sticking out of the top. I made a mistake when I told him he could choose the stocking...but whatever makes him happy. In addition to our stockings and tree, we also have two 3D Advent calendars (also courtesy of Target) which are filled with clues that lead to treats each day. So far, I've gotten lots of candy, ornaments and two tickets to the Meyerson Christmas concert on Sunday evening! I must say...being this close to Christmas vacation, the promise of a treat hiding somewhere in the house has definitely gotten me out of bed and moving on some of these cold mornings!

As far as the rest of the house goes, there are only a few more boxes to unpack and they're all hidden in a closet or the mancave, waiting for Craig to unpack them. All the rooms are set up, with the exception of the mancave and the trophy room...because as previously stated, they are still waiting for Craig. I managed to get everything put in it's proper place by the time my brother Mike and his wife Laura Renee came in for their annual holiday visit last weekend. It was very important for me to have the house in order when they and the rest of my family came over after a satisfying dinner of Anamia's mexican food.

Sadly though, I can feel the novelty of living together already wearing off. I think the honeymoon period is officially over...with the constant schedule of basketball practices, games and tournaments, as well as Cross Country season looming all combined with lesson planning and Christmas shopping?! We definitely come home exhausted and needing our "alone" time - me up in the bedroom watching tv and reading celebrity gossip and him downstairs on the couch, zoned out watching any sort of sporting event. I truly did have aspirations of home cooked meals, but we just don't have that many free evenings...or energy for that matter. Hopefully over Christmas vacation, I'll be able to try out some new recipes for us to eat. Wish me luck!

I did ask him the other day if there were any moments when he was really reminded of why or how much he loves me. (Yes...I fish for compliments. I'm okay with it and he complies...most of the time.) He answered with "waking up to you in the morning." It took me back to that time when he answered my question of why he loves me with the simple "because of who you are." So simple...but yet so telling. Although he doesn't always express it in the way that I do, I know that he is truly happy and content in this house with me. I really have tried to provide a "homey" atmosphere for him - I just want him to be happy.

Honey! I'm Home!!

In the words of my favorite late night comedianne Chelsea Lately, "What---a whirlwind!" After a month of waiting, packing and stressing the moving process is complete. We have been in possession of the house for almost two weeks and it already is already feeling like our home. But it came with a hefty amount of time and energy invested. With the help of our friends and family, this house has truly been made into a home. From Mom cleaning out the shelves and taping off rooms to Dad diligently detailing the paint around the ceiling to Craig's Mom cleaning and painting baseboards and even to MeMa butt scrubbing the floors...we could not have done it without everyone's help. We now have a houseful of furniture and a turquoise and silver decorated Christmas tree - complete with turquoise tree skirt and blue and silver presents wrapped neatly and lying underneath. Many pictures have been hung, new bedding has been bought and the mammoth baseball card collection has found a home in the new "trophy" room.

And through this entire stream of highly stressful housing events compounded by a tragic death in my family, the ending of volleyball and beginning of basketball and two sinus infections...not once did we fight. Sure, I got stressed and vented - even some tears were shed. But there were no blow-ups and I'm very proud of us. But not surprised really. We're not that kind of couple - maybe it comes from being on so many sports teams growing up, but we really have a "team" mindset when it comes to being with each other. We both trust each other and take turns leading and following, as well as knowing that we're stronger if we work together and compromise.

I really do love the house...it's just the right size for us. When first faced with the prospect of "cohabitating" with him, I was scared to death - to nightmares actually. Nightmares that boiled down to my fear of losing my independence. Everyone has those times when they just want to be alone doing whatever they want to do. Whether it's watching mindless TV, playing video games or blogging...it's important to take the time to maintain your own space. And in this house, I definitely feel that we have the space to be ourselves and on our own...but he's not that far away from me and that's the way I like it. Tonight after cooking a great dinner (Yes!!! I cooked!!!) I kissed him and left him happily settled on the couch mesmerized by the History Channel. I came upstairs and after taking one look at my beautiful jet bathtub I knew exactly what I was going to do after a hard day of raising the youth of America and cooking dinner. I lit my favorite candles, turned on my most relaxing Beatles playlist from the iTunes, grabbed a glass of wine and the latest issue of Glamour and I settled into the most fantastic bath ever. I know that these times will not last - we will eventually have little rugrats running around and I will be thankful for five mintues to myself to put on makeup and brush my hair. But I also know that there will be nights when he will know that I need an hour for a bath and relaxation and corner the kids into some sort of game or activity.

I am not nervous at all about us living together anymore because I think that it truly is the best thing for both of us. I'm so excited to provide a "home" for him - he's been living in apartments and between my apartment and his mother's house for so long. I know that he feels so accomplished in the fact that he "provided" a beautiful home for us (even though it's all 50/50...but the caveman in him needs to feel that he has provided for his lady...whatever). And I just want to take care of him and provide the sanctuary from the world that he desperately needs sometimes.