Holidays 2015 & Doors.

Christmas went by so quickly this year. I hardly got a chance to breathe and it was over. Does anyone else feel like the older you get, the quicker things pass? I doubt I'm alone in that. We hosted Christmas at our home this year as we do many years. Family came from all over the country to come spend time with us- Georgia, Nashville, back from Spain and Massachusetts. We had everyone over for Christmas brunch and then did dinner for half the family.

I must admit that this Christmas was a bit exhausting. I love to host. It is one of my favorite things to do. But we started hosting on Christmas eve and things didn't stop until Saturday. I looked forward to things settling down so I could watch the kids play with their new toys. Besides seeing Scarlett's eyes light up when she discovered that Santa had come, relaxing was by far the best part of my holiday. Sitting back with a flavored coffee while I watched Scarlett read her books and listen to her read along cd's. Maxwell discovering his new fire truck. Ty cooking us a light dinner as a Christmas movie played in the background. Wine and Christmas music playing as I tidied up. These things make for a Merry Christmas. Sounds like something a little too perfect, right? That's why I love Christmas because that spirit really does make everything seem perfect. Of course we loved seeing family, too. There is just something warm and cozy about spending some quiet time at home alone.

We didn't go overboard with presents this year. I don't like to spoil the kids too much. They each got a large gift and a few small gifts with lots of books. Scarlett kept saying, "Another book?!" and we laughed as we replied, "I guess Santa wants you to read a lot." Scarlett came downstairs to 2 Scarlett-sized horses which she was immediately enamored by. Similar here. She would have been happy with just those 2 horses. She named them Majesty and Max. ;) Maxwell got a shiny silver race car that he was pretty happy about, although he was equally excited about crinkling the wrapping paper. Scarlett also asked for a little Husky dog that she calls Wolfie. Her class at school had one and she is completely obsessed with it. Her teacher told me that Scarlett would cry if another student picked Wolfie to sleep with during nap time. SO....Maxwell got his sister her very own Wolfie. She was more excited about that than any of the other toys. And then they got lots of gifts from family. It was a great first Christmas for Maxwell and fourth Christmas for Scarlett.

Every year, after Christmas ends, I always get post holiday blues. This year, I did not. I'm not quite sure why that was, but I was happy to start a new year. I've mapped out and already begun a new work-out routine that I will document here on the blog along with before and after photos. I don't want this to be one of those "New Year" resolutions. In fact, I've been trying to get back in to shape way before the NYE thing was close. It's just now that the chaos of the holidays is over, I have more time to focus on getting healthy and in the best shape of my life!! I'm going big! Ha ha.....and I will blog more about that soon. I'm also excited to start my new career in real estate and really jump into that. I'm not sure how fast it will pick up but I'm eager to be my own boss and learn. I've already picked out a new desk and computer that will be a Christmas and New Year gift to myself. These things will keep me busy along with a vacation coming up here in a few short months!

New Years was not extremely exciting. Well, to most. There was no bars or parties, sequins or 2016 glasses to wear. But to us it was perfect. We went to my sister's house for a New Year's dinner. Her husband and her really know how to cook an amazing meal. We ate prime rib that melted in your mouth. And then we had bread pudding and drank egg nog from Moose mugs. Those of you who know me, know that I am a Christmas Vacation movie lover and if you have seen this movie, you know exactly what "moose mugs" I am talking about. We played some games and nursed crying babies. It was a nice evening. We went home at about 10 pm and the kids fell asleep in the car. Ty and I watched movies on the couch and had some alone time. That alone is a celebration. We paused Southpaw to watch the ball drop and then continued our movie.

I woke up the first day of the year in the morning at 6:30 am to an empty bed. I looked around and for a split second, I had a flashback to my younger days. Where was my boyfriend? Did he stay out all night? Did he come home? And then I came to and realize, I don't have a boyfriend and my HUSBAND would never do any of the above. I plopped my body back into the cozy feather mattress and thought, I'll figure it out when I can actually open my eyes. He text me a few moments later that he was on his way home from the gym and that he had stopped to pick up groceries. THAT'S my Ty. He is a remarkable man and I don't think I've ever met anyone like him. When he arrived home he took the kids so that I could do my work-out and then we took off for a little ride. We picked up some movies to watch later. I couldn't think of a better way to start the New Year's then waking up NOT hungover and then working out before some family time.


I've talked numerous times about how I feel like my life is full of chapters, as it truly is. As I reflect the last year, I think about all that has happened in 2015. Maxwell was a huge part of 2015. Also Ty and I had some struggles as I was considerably sick (morning, noon and night sickness) while pregnant  and he was working 80 hour weeks. It was a shaky time for us. We were tested in many ways. But Maxwell was born in June and things lightened up once our Bubs entered into our lives. I left my financial job to stay home with him while Ty's work slowed down a bit. Then I embarked on a new career move and juggled with having two children, being a wife and beginning an entrepreneurial job as well.  All of this is still quite new. So if I had to name last year as a chapter, I would say that 2015 was "Doors". No matter how hard things got, as one door closed for us, another door opened. When I needed Ty to be home with me more and just be with me emotionally and physically again, after months, his work slowed. When I left my job because things did not pan out how I thought they would after having Maxwell, another career move opened up for me. An even better one. I am really excited to see what doors are opened for us in 2016. I have a feeling the things I hope to achieve and experience are not as far away as I think. I hope to travel to at least a few places that I have never been before. 


Anyhow, here are some photos from our holidays. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas this year and I hope you had a Happy New Year! If you could name last year as a chapter, what would it be? 

 Last Christmas and this Christmas....what a difference a year makes.