The Best Christmas EVER!!!

For the first time in two years, me and all eight of my siblings were home for Christmas.

Plus, my fiance, my nephew, and my sister's boyfriend were all here, too!

This led to lots of goofy antics and LOTS of pictures. It was very hard to pick my favorites.

With everyone home, it definitely was apparent how much everyone is growing up. At times it was strange to see the changes that are coming to my family. But, that did not change how close we were. And, as far as my sisters and I are concerned, we will always be Daddy's little girls.

I'm Taken!!! :]

So, for those of my friends who only see me on Blogger and not on Facebook, I'm ENGAGED!!! Devin proposed to me Wednesday afternoon. We had spent the day in Helen, GA browsing the shops and eating good German food.

Then, we went to see the Anna Ruby Falls before heading back home, which are absolutely beautiful. The park was getting very close to closing, so we were the last people the ranger let hike up the mountain. As a result, we were the only ones at the Falls when we got up there.

I was somewhat oblivious to what was about to happen, so I was concerned about making sure we got a picture in front of the Falls before having to get back down the mountain before the park closed. Can you tell how nervous Devin is in this picture?

There, he surprised me with a bucket with little notes, flowers, and flipflops. He also lit a couple candles. The notes were thoughts he had all throughout the six months we were dating that he'd wanted to share but weren't appropriate at the time. After having me read the notes, he got down on one knee and proposed! I said yes, of course! :]

And, Devin custom designed the ring himself. Without ever even asking me, he made the exact ring I'd always wanted!

Since then, everyone has wanted to know wedding details. About as far as we've gotten is Devin trying to persuade me that our registries should be at Best Buy and Toys R Us. (Don't worry...that won't happen.) To be honest, we haven't even had time to discuss it. Today, Devin graduated and is now a real Astrophysicist who is in the process of getting into medical school. Tomorrow we are headed to PA to spend Christmas with my family. But, once we know any details, I will be sure that everyone knows! :]

Holiday Baking

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas Season is my holiday baking. This past Thursday, I kicked it off with my mentee Kadeeja.

We ended up with a whole plate of yummy sugar cookies!

On Sunday, I did a whole bunch more. And, I got a chance to use my new candy thermomoter!

The whole purpose of my baking was to give out goodies to my co-workers and other people I care about. :]

The final result was pecan brittle, chocolate fudge, peanut butter chocolate fudge, chocolate chip cookies, and white chocolate chip holiday cookies!!!

In the Doghouse...

Devin says he keeps waiting for the day when he messes up, and I "put him in the doghouse." This Sunday, he decided to do it to himself as a preemptive measure...I just never knew there was a doghouse under my desk!

Christmas Shopping!!!

The countdown to Christmas is on...only 16 days away! And, I'm leaving for home in just 10 days! So, while trying to finish up finals, work on my GA commitments, work at St. Mary's, and get ready, I fave been very absorbed in Christmas shopping. Amazon.com has gotten a lot of my attention this year. Today included browsing a few stores and a Walmart run for baking supplies, goody boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbon. I've been very good at being selective this year in what I buy. At this point, thank goodness, I'm almost done with just a couple presents left to go! Whew!

Seven Years

Happy Anniversary MomDad!!!

Seven years ago today, my family came together. And, while we've had some rough times here and there, we really have become a family and have amazing times together. I couldn't ask for a better family. Thank you Mom and Dad!

Here is our first "family" outing before Mom and Dad were ever married.

This is the unofficial engagement photo.

This was the first picture of us kids together. Of course, we didn't get it quite right on the first try.

So, here is the retake of the "first" photo. Thankfully, we've taken better ones since!

Crazy November

So...it's been awhile since I've posted anyhting new. And, it's not that anything hasn't happened...it's that too much has happened! I have had a very busy November. With semester's end coming so quickly, grad school has been crazy! My classes are just about finished and I've had the work to prove it. That doesn't mean I haven't found some time for fun, though!

This month has brought with it a lot of football. Some has been exciting, some depressing. The highlight: in the WVU-Louisville game, my boy Pat White rushed for 200 yards to set an all-time NCAA rushing record for QBs with 4,292 yards! In that same game, he became the all-time leading scorer in the Big East! Let's go Mountaineers!


Also, Wall-E came out on DVD. Devin took me to see this in theater on my birthday, and we both loved it. So, we had to get it the day it came out and have been spending some fun times since pouring over the bonus features.

Of course, an amazing Thanksgiving day falls into the time I've missed, too! I got to enjoy my first southern Thanksgiving dinner. While not entirely different from what I've always known, there were a few new dishes. My favorite was probably the green beans almondine, but I loved getting to help with the dumplings! Plus, I have so much to be thankful for this year that it made it extra special.

Now, I am just counting down until I get to go home with my family for Christmas. All nine siblings haven't been together for two years, and we will be in just three weeks!!! So, I'm at 21 days and counting!!! :]