New year; new us.

Well, it's new years eve and that always means time to reflect and decide how you could possibly be better in the new year. B and I have been reflecting quite a bit over the past few weeks about how we want to take advantage of our life right now. We have somehow gotten stuck into this boring routine everyday and don't really do anything. We are both hoping in the new year to be the best version of ourselves; or at least make an attempt at LIVING. hah.

In the new year (already established):
1. We will be taking Beginner Waltz classes every Tuesday between Jan. 13-March 3
2. Wii fit (already in love with)
3. Both of us are really going to try to go to the gym
4. Saturday Yoga (tab)
5. Mini-holiday with friends in Florida in March
6. Beer Olympics (to raise money for charity) in July
7. Hawaii in August!!
8. SCF (sisters come first) weekend in February

Other things we'd like to do but haven't planned yet:
1. volunteer trip in spring (tab)
2. turkey bowl for Valley-thanksgiving
3. Brandon's basketball camp
4. Long weekend in NYC (tab)
5. hunting trip (b)
6. play in a vball league (tab)
7. play in a bball league (b)
8. learn to play golf (tab)

So we have big dreams for 2009, which I think is what has been missing. We had one big dream for 2008- the wedding- and after that passed, we didn't really have anything motivating us to do anything else. Thus, the boring routine we have been living for the past 2 months. So, hopefully in 2009 we will start off sprinting.

trying your best.

I always talk about trying your best, but I have noticed that lately I have not been trying my best. I work from home, so it is easy to lose focus (i.e. I'm writing this blog during the workday) and motivation. If I did try my best our life would be organized, our house would be clean, and I wouldn't feel so much animosity about wedding aftermath (thank yous, unopened gifts, gifts that need returned, etc).

So, as a list lover, Brandon and I made an URGENT list of stuff that has been weighing on our minds that really need to get done. It just always feels like after a day of work and then trying to keep up with the regular stuff, we just feel like laying around. And it doesn't help at all that it gets dark so early. So in an attempt to motivate myself to keep moving-I have hung the URGENT list up on my bulletin board above my desk and look at frequently to remind myself that there is plenty to do, so I really should get off of facebook and youtube and just get something done. So far, it works (we made the list last night).

Our URGENT list looks like this:
-buy a new vehicle
-post items on ebay
-Tab: finish name change paperwork
-scholarship
-Christmas shopping
-B: order contacts
-Close old checking acct.
-Order wedding photo CD
-FINISH WEDDING THANK YOUS
-Meet with my mom about savings money
-Put all wedding gifts away
-organize the basement

Brandon and I are in the works for starting a scholarship at our high school which is pretty exciting (see above). We would like the money to go to a student who has served as a role model for younger students and are asking them to answer one question, "What is one thing that has changed for the better because of you" while at the school. I am interested to read the responses from kids:)

I also visited at the Boys&Girls' club this week and looooooooved it. I am hoping to start volunteering in the new year and tutoring at least twice a week. I already have hopes of starting a book club there too. The whole idea of the Boys&Girls Club is inspiring. You can read up on it at: http://www.bgca.org/

We also made a list of "Things to do before 2009" on our way home from our honeymoon (in October, it's not looking so good at this point), also hanging above my desk.
-Organize office
-Organize basement
-Plan Flagler trip
-Buy a vehicle
-Look into the Boys&Girls Club (volunteering)- DONE!
-Train Lola for no biting
-Save Money
-Think of new hobbies and ways to spend time together (make wine, play games, gym!!)
-Start 2 new traditions -DONE!
-Make "Studer" frame

I should probably make an URGENT list for my soul too, it would look like this:
-go to church
-go to Yoga
-read more
-volunteer
-create monthly volunteer chart
-clear out the clutter!!
-CALL YOUR FRIENDS
-make a non-working visit to NYC
-plan summer vacation

yea, I'm going to add the Soul list to my bulletin board and hope that the drive to check things off pushes me to try my best, everyday.

Thank.full

Our first holiday as husband and wife! Thanksgiving was great. We traveled to Johnstown to spend it with our families and friends. We really got around to see everyone and actually for the first time didn't feel like we were rushing around. It felt different to be in Johnstown this time. It was our first time back since the wedding and I think we felt more married, so everyone acted like we were more married. haha. Sounds funny-but felt right.

It was Lola's first thanksgiving too. She didn't seem thankful for anything except dirt. She loves kicking dirt up out of plant pots...and my mom has about a trillion plants at their house...so that was a mess. I am thankful for Lulu even though she's so bad.

I really love traditions and the holidays are so chalk full of them, I feel giddy. Our thanksgiving tradition of going to the movies that night with my sisters was held in tact. We also both kept our tradition of eating so much we feel sick, nice.

With Christmas on the horizon, we have traditions galore coming and I would like to make a few of our own. We watched Elf last night after we decorated the house (new tradition). We have an annual holiday cookie bake with my sisters and cousins coming up (old tradition). And I drop off cookies for the nursing home closer to Christmas (old tradition). I would like to watch Christmas with the Kranks on Christmas Eve Eve with B. I think that movie is so hilarious and it makes me feel so happy (new tradition).

Our wedding thank yous are doubling up as our holiday cards this year, so I am trying to frantically get them all finished within the next two weeks..eek! Still have name change paperwork to do, but in my heart I'm a Studer. Guess I just need to notify the authorities. heh.

Addictions.

Brandon, Lola, and I all have addictive personalities, thankfully, to nothing that is considered "harmful" to our bodies and/or mind. Well, harmful in the conventional way. Not really addictions, but not really just things we "like" to do either. We are borderline obsessed.

Brandon addictions:

1. hunting

2. fishing

3. falling asleep on the couch after dinner

4. Dirty Jobs

5. Parental Control on MTV

6. Prisonbreak

7. chicken wings

8. ME

My addictions:

1. READING

2. anything chocolate

3. green tea

4. facebook

5. watching movie trailers online

6. youtube

7. pizza

8. HIM

Lola's addictions:

1. sleeping on people's legs

2. jumping into empty boxes/bags

3. fighting the water out of the bathroom faucet

4. trying to pull the paper out of the printer/fax machine as its printing

5. talking like a raccoon

6. chasing the laser

7. tuna with egg canned food

8. her daddy

Green.

We have made some very minor changes in our day/habits to try to be more green in the last year. I think that it seems pretty silly to not make small changes for a greater good. We certainly could do more, but here are a few ways that we have incorporated being green into our lives:

1. We recycle.
2. We use reusable bags EVERY time we go to the grocery store. Even when it annoys the bagging-kid.
3. I use Brandon's old t-shirts as dust rags instead of papertowels.
4. We use cloth napkins.
5. I do all the laundry on Mondays and all on cold.
6. We keep our thermostat at 68 degrees day and night and we live in Erie (i.e. there's already 2 inches of snow on the ground..probs until May now)
7. We drink water from the Brita, not from bottles.
8. We mail back the envelopes that come from credit card offers (if they want to send it-they can pay the postage for the returned empty envelope) and recycle the rest of the paper.
9. Twice a year, we sweep the house for stuff we can donate to Salvation Army (appliances, books, clothes, decorations, etc that we don't use anymore)
10. We eat off of real plates vs. paper plates everyday..even when I don't feel like cleaning up.
11. We use the dishwasher, and run it when its totally full on energy & water saver.
12. We use energy-saver (curly) lightbulbs.
13. We unplug appliances that we don't use all day long (coffee pot, toaster, cell phone chargers, hair dryers, etc)

Goooood day!

Good day reason#1
So, I swear I'm psychic sometimes. My last dream before waking up this morning was that we were taking more wedding pics and then when I checked my email - our photographer had sent the info to log on to look at our pics! We have been waaaaaaiting to see them, and I love them.

Good day reason#2
B called at like 9:30am and told me that ALDI only had 2 Wii's left and I went there and got one! So, now we have a Wii, yay!

Good day reason#3
Both our cute return address labels (hehe) and our wedding thank you cards were delivered today!

Good day reason#4
We're having breakfast for dinner tonight<3

Good day reason#5
Its a beautiful, sunny, cool, fall day. And I love it.

Good life reason#1
We're together.

Just getting started..

We finally got married, after over 8 years, on October 18, 2008 in our hometown of Johnstown, PA. It was the best and most tiring days of our lives. We had over 430 guests come to celebrate with us, which we both realize is incredibly obnoxious. But when you come from a small town and practically everyone there watched us grow up together, its hard not to invite people.

We live in Erie, PA in a townhouse that we rent and love. We have waaay to many unwrapped wedding gifts at this point and I've been feeling like my chi needs unblocked in a big way. We have a crazy kitten, Lola who we are pretty sure is either seeing ghosts or has a mental disorder. She is the sweetest thing when she's sleepy, but when she's fully awake she's a total loon. She loves wrestling with the faucet water in the bathroom sink. We technically aren't allowed to have pets, so Brandon's biggest fear is being found out. Lulu (as we so endearingly call her), of course makes a run for it everytime the front door is opened, which sends B into a full on sprint to get her "before the neighbors see her."

I feel currently like I need to involve myself more in life. Of course, a huge focus for me has just ended in the wedding, but I still feel like I need to push myself and us, as a couple, to do more. To be involved in LIFE. I read, alot, and I'm currently reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer because I refuse to watch the movie without reading the book first. So far so good:) I guess I felt inspired to start a blog, partially because of Julie&Julia (the book), which is so fantastic; especially if you like blogging and/or cooking and/or reading. hah.

I'm currently also looking into opportunities for B and I to volunteer some time each week. I emailed the Boys&Girls club to see if they have anything they need help with. I know Brand would love to play sports with the kids, if possible. I'm interested in creating a volunteer-by-month calendar that will become a tradition in our family (heh, WE are a family!) So we'll have a staple volunteer idea to accomplish every month out of the year (i.e. working at soup kitchen in November, making cookies for a nursing home in December, etc) Just something small that we do every month together, as a family.

I have a lot of hopes for us as man&wife, but it always feels like we're waiting for something. The house to get organized, to save enough money, to be settled in jobs. THIS is our life, right now. ..and I know I lose track of that and settle into the same old routine. I would really like to do at least one thing out of the ordinary each week. One thing that makes us feel like we are LIVING.

Suggestions are appreciated.

Back to work and dishes and dinner and the gym. Ordinary life stuff for the moment.