Goodbye 2009.. Hello 2010

It is now officially 2010 and I'm glad for the beginning of a new year. 2009 had many ups and downs and through it all I managed to gain strength, learn valuable lessons, and create countless memories with family and friends.
*In 2009*
~ We celebrated Chris' 30th birthday with a bash at our place.
~ We traveled to Chicago to visit family and celebrate a family members 1st birthday.
~ Over the Easter weekend we had a family bowling tournament and dad kicked all our butts.
~ I experienced Amish Country for the first time.
~ We painted our whole staircase hallway and the upstairs hallway.
~ We found out that Chris had an aneurysm and would need surgery.
~ We lost a beloved family member, Grandpa George Thorpe who is dearly missed.
~ We experienced the new Clipper's Stadium with family and friends.
~ I went on a Longaberger trip with my mom and toured the office, homestead, and factory.
~ Chris and I ventured to the Columbus Zoo to see the new baby elephant.
~ We experienced two fun Happy Hour's at Park Street Patio.
~ We tasted the famous hamburgers at Thurman's Cafe for the first time.
~ Had a blast at Red, White, and Boom with friends and family.
~ Chris and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary at The Melting Pot.
~ Chris had a smooth surgery and a quick recovery. I'm happy and thankful that he is back to 100%
~ I got to experience 5 OSU games. Navy, USC, Indiana, Purdue, and Penn State.
~ Had a wonderful 26th birthday.
~ Cooked my first Thanksgiving at our house for both sets of parents this year.
~ Cut down a fantastic tree and decorated our house.
~ Concluded the year with a fun New Year's Eve party and started the year with a Buckeye win at the Rose Bowl.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2009 has come and gone and I'm thankful for all the experiences and lessons it brought. It's time to focus on 2010 and whatever the year will bring. Here's to hoping it's wonderful things.

Merry Christmas!

The day that we have all been waiting so eagerly for has come. Christmas day is such a magical day that makes anybody feel like a kid again and spending time with family makes it even that much more special. I've had a fantastic Christmas this year and it is hard to believe that it is coming to a close. It is always nice to be with my family and with my brother living in Wisconsin we don't get to see him that often. We always celebrate Christmas eve by having my dad's brother and his wife over for dinner and Jones Family poker. Poker with the family is always entertaining and I love that the dealer gets to choose what type of game they want to play and how many cards they want to be wild. We play for hours and reminisce of Christmas' past and the present. After our poker playing my aunt and uncle head home and then my family heads to church for midnight mass. This has been a long standing tradition with my parents and I can remember being a young child and falling asleep on the church pew in the late night of the mass. The mass is beautiful and enjoyable. After mass we head home and go to bed so "Santa" can come put the presents under our tree. I always set my alarm for 7:00 am and wake everybody up to open presents. This early hour has always been a long standing tradition with me and I have no idea when it started. Anybody who knows me knows I love to sleep in and are always shocked to hear the 7:00 am wake-up call on Christmas day. After our present opening and cups of coffee with a cookie for a pre-breakfast we play with the new things that we got and then mom heads up to make brunch while the rest of us always seems to take a nap. The brunch is the same every year on Christmas day. It consists of a very tasty egg, ham, potatoes, and cheese casserole and toast. It is super yummy and a once a year treat. When brunch is over the family heads back downstairs to watch movies all day while Chris and I pack up and head back to Columbus to celebrate Christmas with his family. We always open presents as soon as his dad gets home from work and take turns watching to see what each other got. After everyone and the dogs open their gifts we have dinner and then hang out and digest. Chris and I usually head home not to much later to unpack everything and spend some time celebrating Christmas at our home with Sloopy. It is a very busy two days but I wouldn't have it any other way and I love the traditions and togetherness of family at Christmas time. It is the most wonderful time of the year and I am always sad to see it go. So here's to a pretty good 2009 and hoping that 2010 brings wonderful things and healthy family and friends.

I'm sorry the picture is a little blurry. This is a sweet snuggie I got from my brother. It has A Christmas Story scenes all over it! Super cool. We got him an X-box game and a jug of Arnold Palmer. His favorite drink. It only comes in cans in WI so we thought it would be funny to get him a jug for Christmas. Humor must have been the theme for this years present to each
other.

Santa's Two New Elves

Merry Christmas from two of Santa's new Elves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Busy Busy

These past couple of weeks have been busy busy. Two other teachers and myself directed and created the costumes and props for our school's production of The Nutcracker. They took the ballet, added words, and made it into a kids version to be perormed by elementary students. The kids did a fantastic job and all the hard work, numerous hours of decorating and prop making, and helping the kids memorize lines payed off for a great show. Everyone was impressed and enjoyed the show. The musical is what has been taking up most of my free time when I'm not teaching. I'm glad that it is over and we have a month off until we have to gear up for the spring show. As a reward for the students we went on Friday to see the Nutrcracker ballet downtown and then had lunch at Spaghetti Wharehouse. It was a great day and a fantastic way to end a busy week.
Besides the play I have manged to squeeze in some holiday activities. Chris and I spent last Sunday making and decorating Christmas cookies. This is my grandmother's recipie and I always think of her when I make them. The decorating was fun and we had some rather festive and colorful cookies.


This weekend my parents came into town to relax and watch some Christmas movies and to fix our lights. The windstorm blew off most of the top row of lights around our roof and one of the ties that holds the wreath down. Dad managed to put it back up and back to new. After we watched Surviving Christmas and made homemade pizzas we got in the car and headed to Picktown Lights. If you haven't been there you need to go. It is a neighborhood of 21 houses that are all lit up and synchronize their light displays to music. You tune your radio station to a specific station to hear the music and drive through to watch the lights on all the houses dance to the music.

It's spectacular to see and the street is always super busy with cars. They ask that you give a canned food donation for an area food bank. So if you are looking for a cheap holiday activity to do, go check out the light show. I know I want to go back and see it again.
The weekend is almost coming to an end and the week ahead is going to be a busy one again. However, it's the last week before Christmas break. I can't wait for the glorious two weeks off and spending time with family and friends.

Sprucey

I have a lot to be thankful for this year and just celebrating Thanksgiving gave me time to really appreciate everything I'm thankful for. The most important is my family and Chris back to 100% health. It has been a trying year and through it all we've become stronger and closer and I'm extremely thankful for that.
Chris and I headed over to Sidney to my parents house to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. My parents always host the dinner at their house and it was great to see the aunts and uncles again. After our dinner we always play poker with my aunt and uncle for a while and then kick off the holiday season by watching White Christmas. Half way through the movie Chris usually falls asleep and it wouldn't be tradition if he didn't. He goes into work at 4:00 am on Thanksgiving so he can get off early to spend the rest of the day with us. It is understandable that come movie time in the evening he is tired.
After the movie we all head up to bed to get up early to cut down our Christmas trees. This has been a long standing Jones tradition and I can remember being little and going to cut down the family tree. My aunt and uncle come to and we all meet for breakfast and then head out to the tree farm to find the perfect tree. Of course when we are walking the tree aisles and pulling the sleds we always quote lines from Christmas Vacation and when that perfect tree comes into view we break out in song. It's goofy, but fun, and it makes it even that more special.





Chris and I started cutting down our own tree the first year we were married. We tie it to the top of our car and hall it back to Columbus. I always love seeing the looks on peoples faces as we drive past them on the highway with a tree strapped to the top. Each year we say our tree is the best one yet and each year our tree is named Sprucey.I always enjoy bringing the tree home and putting the lights and ornaments on. My favorite lights are the bubble lights and we always have them on the tree. We have ornaments that spin, play songs, and light up to. It's a very festive tree and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love traditions and especially love this time of year because it's filled with traditions, family, laughter, and fun.
Today I spent the day decorating the rest of the house and we finally put all the finishing touches on the outside of the house. The Christmas season has officially begun and I can't wait for the weeks ahead. Especially Christmas break from school.

Happy TurChristmas

This weekend has been a fantastic mixture of both Christmas and Thanksgiving or better known as TurChristmas. It all started on Friday when Chris and I headed to Easton for date night. I was excited to find out that Easton was having the lighting ceremony that night. I thought it was going to be a small countdown and then the lights would come on, but was pleasantly surprised when it was much more then that. They had an elaborate stage set up by the big tree in front of the Cheesecake Factory. The stage had a winter wonderland backdrop where the Santa Babies from Shadowbox sang and another singer. After a couple of songs Santa arrived by horse and buggy to light up Easton. The countdown was great and after all of Easton was lit fireworks shot off all around us from the roofs of the buildings. It was a beautiful Christmas sight.

After the ligthing Chris and I walked around and then went to see A Christmas Carol in 3-D on the IMax. I highly recommend seeing this movie and any movie in 3-D. It adds so much to the movie experience and makes you feel like you are actually in the movie.
On Saturday my parents came into town to watch The Game of OSU versus Michigan. We spent a lot of time cheering and yelling at the tv and were super pumped that the Buckeyes pulled off another victory against Michigan. They are now officially the out right Big 10 Champs and have prevented Michigan from having any chance of playing at a bowl game this year. It was great! Our game watching ended and we then ventured outside to start the exterior illumination on our house. My dad has always been the master of exterior illumination and gives Clark Griswold a run for his money. Since my parents have moved to a condo, they have tons of lights to spare. Dad came well prepared with lights that would stretch for miles. I was super pumped and eager to get as many as we could on our house. He helped us hang the big wreath and the top row of lights on the house.





The wreath brings back many fun Christmas memories. This wreath use to hang on the house that I lived at as a child and grew up in until they moved when I went to college. Luckily I get to have it on our house because it's too big for my parent’s condo. The lights are all hung and after several circuit breakers popping they are lit. We have to get a new cord to get the back of our house lit up, but the front is done. I will post a picture in a couple days that shows all of the decorations out and complete.
Today Chris and I prepared Thanksgiving for the first time at our house. I spent the day cooking the turkey and preparing the side dishes. My parents, the in-laws, and Chris' aunt came to help celebrate our first Thanksgiving dinner. Everything tasted wonderful and for our first Thanksgiving at our house it went great. It was an honor to get to use the turkey platter that has been in my family for years and to see Chris carve the turkey for the first time.



I love memories and traditions and was honored that we could start a new tradition at our house this year. After our food and chocolate pumpkin cheesecake we went outside to look at our house all lit up with Christmas lights. I've now got another turkey cooking in the oven for the kindergartners at school. Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving feast and I've agreed to cook the turkey. With two turkeys and all the fixings, my oven has been on all day! It has been a wonderful and festive weekend and am looking forward to all of the holiday fun to come in the upcoming month. Happy TurChristmas!

Christmas is Coming!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and I love it. I have always been rather obsessed with Christmas and this time of the year I always start to get giddy and excited like a little girl. The stores are starting to decorate and the lights are starting to go up. It is and always will be the most wonderful time of the year. Last night Chris and I decided to kick of the Christmas season a little early by going to so A Christmas Story Play performed by an area high school. A Christmas Story is my all time favorite movie and I was super excited to see the play. Before we went I knew it was going to be good, but I thought being a high school performance that it wouldn't be to elaborate or extravagant. Boy was I wrong! The school rocked it out. The set was amazing, the costumes and props were amazing, and the actors did a fantastic job. I was thoroughly impressed with the gentleman who played Ralphie as an adult who is the narrator. That kid had to learn a whole book of lines. He was present in every scene and had at least one line in every scene as well as numerous monologues throughout the performance. It was a fantastic show and a great way to kick off the holiday season. After the show we went to Graters to have peppermint stick ice cream and drove downtown to look at the Christmas lights. It was great, and what could be just as good as last night? The Buckeye victory, which made them the outright Big 10 champs and a spot at the Rose Bowl. Great evening, great game, and a great weekend so far.

Start of the Best Time of the Year

The leaves are changing, there is a crisp in the air, and the pumpkins are arriving. It must be Fall! This season kicks off my favorite time of year. From October-December there are numerous holidays, my birthday, and a cheerful festiveness among people. I also love the clothes you get to wear this time of year and of course all the Buckeye games that take place. I've had the chance to put the fall decorations up and purchased some fall scents for my classroom. The kids have been busy learning about fall and my classroom is quickly filling up with projects of red, orange, yellow, and brown. I've also spent the past two days at the annual teacher conference and if you remember from last year it did not go so well and was a huge waste of time. I'm happy to report that this year was ten times better and it was held at the convention center downtown. This met I didn't have to stay the night and could actually come home for the evening and spend time with Chris. I enjoyed the first two speakers and the choices I made for the break-out sessions provided useful information that I can't wait to take back to my classroom. We are all hoping that next years conference will take place in Chicago. Today I had to spend the day catching up on what I didn't get to do yesterday. Lesson planning, cleaning, and laundry. My to-do list is pretty much checked off and I am ready for the kick off of a new week. I'm excited for the weekend to come already because Chris and I are venturing to Indiana for the next OSU game. This will only be my second away game and I am looking forward to experiencing a new stadium and a new city.