8th Day...

Of Things That Remind Me of Christmas...

Post Office CHAOS Giving gifts!
I love making, picking out, buying, wrapping, sending Christmas gifts for other people. Nothing makes me more happy!

Don't get me wrong! I know Christmas isn't all about the presents and things. It definitely has more value than that. But I love showing others that I think about them and have put thought and planning behind their gifts. To me, that makes them more special.

Merry Christmas!

9th day...

Single digit people... single digit! We have 9 days until Christmas. One sister in law came into town yesterday and the other comes into town on Monday (I may be more excited to see John's sisters than he is! Yay for some GIRL TIME)!

But lets get back to my point:

9th day of Things That Remind Me of Christmas

LIGHTS!

We didn't hang any this year (sad, we are even in our OWN house to do it) but I have big plans for next year. But I l O V E seeing everyone with Christmas lights up. Makes me so happy to see sparkly little lights.

With one exception... SINGING LIGHTS

Our next door neighbors have lights that are linked with a sound box that plays Christmas music. It was cute for a few minutes but quickly got very annoying. We talk nightly about how to cut the box.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Thursday! I have ONE (and a half) work day left and then I am on vacation for TWO weeks. Two weeks people!!

10th Day of...

Things that remind me of Christmas:

Christmas GOODIES!! I love baking and decorating yummy Christmas treats. Tonight, I plan to bake some more.

The list includes:

Rice Krispie Treats (with some festive sprinkles... maybe a batch dipped in Chocolate)

Peanut Butter Balls (family recipe... TO DIE FOR!)

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Peppermint Bark

I think thats all I (and my kitchen) can handle.

And just for fun...

11th day

...of things that remind me of Christmas.

"Rats! Nobody sent me a Christmas card today. I almost wish there weren't a holiday season. I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?" ~ Charlie Brown Christmas Movie.

Christmas Cards!

I love them... I hang them up each year as I receive them. This year they are currently pasted on my pantry door in my kitchen. I look at them each morning. We have such wonderful family and friends. I am grateful for all of them and look forward to being able to afford our own Christmas card to send out!!

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

Did you know that its officially 12 days before Christmas? Seriously!? Where does time go...

Even though its only TWELVE days until one of my favorite holidays, I am having a hard time feeling the spirit of it all. Maybe its because the weather in Tucson is more like Spring than it is winter (or even fall).

So to jump start the holiday joy, I have decided to start a 12 Days of blog-Christmas! :) Random things that I hear, see, find, that remind me of why I love this time of year...

12th Day of things that remind me of Christmas:

Family!! I love love love all the family time that gets to happen during the holidays. For this Christmas we are staying here in Tucson and we get to spend it with John's family. I am really excited (granted, I will miss my own family as well) but all his sisters are going to be home (with their significant others) and its going to be one big POWELL-FEST! :)

While we are on the subject of family... the last two years I have got to spend it with my little monster and this year I will miss him greatly!

Christmas 2008 (New Jersey)

Christmas 2009 (Las Vegas)

And this year he is even bigger... (cause he turned 2!!) but sadly I will just have to call him and wish him a Merry Christmas over the phone.

'Tis the Season

I am so in the mood to get crafty!! Not just any type of crafts- Christmas crafts!
We have a few holiday decorations for Christmas but not enough for my satisfaction. So I have decided that I am going to hit up my discount fabric store and create this amazing advent calendar out of felt! (Picture looks amazing- my craft might be satisfactory but who cares).

I am hoping that this craft-fest will get me into the holiday spirit. Cause I am not feeling too great about the upcoming month of December. (I have the case of the bah-hum-bugs)

Halloween Boise Style

I spent the weekend in Boise, Idaho with my fam! So much fun... so flippin cold!!

I uploaded the pictures backwards and I am too lazy to replace them all correctly- sorry! :)


My Mom, Marian (sister) and I ran the Farm Man Challenge 5k! It went to a GREAT cause and had a fun/freezing time doing it. The race was an obstacle course through a corn-maze. Definitely fun although it made for an even greater challenge when the weather was only a cold/windy/cloudy 38 degrees.

The finish line was an air-jumper type thing set into the ground... was a little slippery trying to run across in your socks!

Marian and I at the starting line...

Some pre-5k activity: feeding and petting the wandering goats.BAH! So cold! Poor little Jaxson... Just in case you can't see my awesome hat- there is a candy store in Boise called Powell's Sweet Shoppe. Needless to say I bought the hat :)Two of my nephews. Staton and Breckon. Little Breckie was my shadow all weekend. I heart him!! :)

Ha, ok my bestest friend in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD drove 5 hours to see me Saturday night! My dad took some better photos of us than this... but I wanted to give her the credit for making the trip. Plus, I just love her face. And apparently whatever we were talking about was very intense!! The twins playing with some of grandpa's robot.

Breckster!! What a babe.

Last but certainly not least, my sweet Nana. What a wonderful grandma she is to me and I will love her for ever!!

I hope you all had a great weekend too. Can't wait to see my family again- in three weeks :) Love the holiday season!

Move over Martha- there is a new Stewert in town!

So, I baked a cake for my sister Karly's wedding dinner. Loved her enough to make myself a little crazy this last week doing it. But what can I say, when you gain a sister as great as she is... its well worth it!

This talent is definilty best to be left to my sister Marian. But I enjoyed the attempt! :)

Bisbee 1000

Growing up my pops was the runner. I remember going with him ONCE when I was a young little thing and I pretty much walked while he ran ahead and circled back... I am sure he made me run with him from that point though. Which is why I avoided running at all costs from then on. That is until I was in college (in A LOT better shape), and joined my dad and sister in a Turkey Trot. Had a good time- so from then on I have been running ever since. Use to be a thing for me a my dad. He would join me or if he couldn't (bad back) he would wait for me at the finish line. To this day- when I run a race I always think of my dad waiting for me at the finish line. Whether he is there or not... *sigh!

Anyways, I digress in thought-
I graduated, got married, moved, started a grown up job, and my love for running went away.

At this point I can happily admit that my relationship with running is a little disfunctional. One day we love eachother, the next, its hate. But ever since I committed myself to the early AM runs, its been we have gotten along better. Well on Saturday, October 16th we decided to REALLY love eachother. You know that IN love stage at the beginning stages of dating someone new. Where you just can't get enough of them and your almost high from all those lovey endorphines?? Thats what we experienced on this magical Saturday! :)

We were IN love!!

Had so much fun going to Bisbee with a few good friends. We got up early, drove a few hours, ran in amazing weather, had some amazing food (including some samples of Salmon Cream Cheese on home-made sour dough bread, jalapeno bread-SPICY, and a fantastic egg and potato breakfast burro), and took some NOT so amazing pictures of myself (while the others looked amazing instead). PS: ran 5 minutes and 47 seconds faster this year than last... Yipee!

Now that Bisbee is gone, running and I will continue to work on our relationship and attempt to endure a 1/2 marathon in December. Goal is to beat my last 1/2 marathon time by 10 minutes. We'll see :)

Oh ya- and....holidays are coming up- can't wait to see my family!

A few pictures for your enjoyment:

Yes, I did take a picture of my at 5am to remember that pre-race feeling!

Sarah standing on one of the many staircases that are all over this small little mountain-side town. Although these weren't stairs in our race, these are a small scale example of the 9 we had to get through (including running 3.2 miles up and down some pretty serious hills)!


Kim!

ME! *notice its far away- thats cause my hair was swetty, my skin was red and blotchy, and I pretty much STANK!

Debbie- Kind of caught her in a "oh, well" moment and she still looks cute!!

Showing our stuff- tough chicks present! :)

These ladies were here last year too! Loved their spirit. Lady with a kid- not sure who the rude face was for!

There we are! Standing watching the IceMan Challenge. What a good day!

The end!

Friday

Yes, its finally Friday! I am so looking forward to this weekend. Bisbee1000, cleaning our disaster of a bedroom, doing laundry so we have clean clothes, studying, sleeping in (on Sunday)... just some things I am looking forward to.

Hope you all have a great weekend too!!

Cup for a Cake

Ever wanted to know what baking 200+ CupCakes would do to your kitchen??

You are all welcome to my house to see... sorry no touching the works of art!!

* Not an actual photo- just a googled image! :)

Victorious!

"This is where you will win the battle- in the playhouse of your mind"
~Maxwell Maltz

5am= me up and running (a slow and painful) 4 miles!

I win...

Hesitation

"He who hesitates is lost"
Proverbs

Yesterday I realized that I will be running a difficult 5k (dont mock me- its the Bisbee 1000. Look it up!) in three weeks and have yet to really do any running (like at all). So I committed to getting up at 5am this morning to go for that run! 5am came, I hesitated, and went back to sleep. 6:30am came, "Oh S#!T! I am going to be late for work"... and was.

Moral of the story- Meghan get your LAZY butt out of bed when the alarm goes off.

Happy Wednesday.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you

There is a picture on our wall that i look at everynight. I think about the words that are on the bottom and contemplate what they mean to me and my life at that moment. Those words are such a comfort to see each night and morning...

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" ~John 14:27

Last night, I thought about those words again. I sat there looking at the picture and realized I am at peace knowing that the things that are sometimes difficult to swallow somehow work themselves out. Even when I am frustrated and at my witts end, when I stop and let go of those frustrations I realize how peaceful I really am. I know I am doing the right things. I am not perfect (by a long shot), but I am trying my hardest and the Lord knows it.

I am grateful for those small moments of comfort. I started thinking about that classic poem that I never really gave much thought to until now...
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Life can sometimes be hard... everyone experiences those trials that make you wonder why. But I know that the Lord is always with us. He always knows our sufferings and he will make those burdens light. He will give us peace. I am so thankful for that knowledge.

Just because...

Who needs kids when I have this wonderful little girl!!
PS: she got two new toys today- one being a little otter that she is loving to destroy!! Toys around here dont last long. At least she only chews her toys... otherwise a baby might look more appealing.




like the jeans in the background that look like half a body??

Home Is Where The Heart Is...

Well I didn't lie to you- we really bought ourselves a house. Still a work in progress and the next big project is the landscaping. However, for now its nice to have our own place. I feel like we are already filling it up. How is that possible?? Maybe we can upgrade sooner than we thought (if john reads this he might start laughing and say YEAH RIGHT!)
Here are some pictures of the living room and kitchen. The three rooms on the backside of the house are pretty much an office for john, a workout room, and a storage closet. :) Our master bedroom is where the magic happens but isn't anything special to take a picture of at this moment.
So here is a little preview- (nope, definitely did not pick up our house before taking these pictures. ohhhh well.)

Happy Anniversary

I know, I know... I get the award for the crappiest blogger. I never take pictures so I dont ever have anything great to blog about. Luckily I remembered to snap a few shots when John and I went to California for our big 1 year anniversary. Thats right folks- we made it a year. Now lets see how the rest of our lives go. :)
Here are some beach shots...








It was a beautiful weekend so we did lots of walking! We walked through some neighborhoods that would be AMAZING to live in... not so amazing to pay for! In between some houses they had these stairs that went down to the beach shore. Well the tide was SUPER high that night so the stairs were halfway covered with water. It was pretty neat.









and... just cause I am so dang cute-