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it’s been a while (like over a month) since i’ve done a real blog post. not much has changed. i did have my birthday in late november and am a year older. it was a splendid birthday … probably one of the best i’ve had in a while. jeromy arranged for me to get a 80 minute deep tissue massage at the red door spa, took me out to lunch, bought me a sephora gift card, sent me an orchid at work, and arranged dinner at on the border for all of our friends. i felt very well taken care of and pampered. he’s the best husband ever. my sweet dee-dee crocheted a tree skirt for me, which looks awesome under our tree. i know it is something that i will treasure for years. mom was super thoughtful and got me giant bottles of lotion and shower gel in my favorite scent (amazing grace). lori couldn’t make the dinner, but sent some fantastic red jewelry (which i’ve already worn several times) and a great light. the presents were awesome but it was even better to be able to spend my birthday with friends and spend some time with those closest to me.

thanksgiving came later that week. jeromy and i went to mom’s house for the day. we brought a turkey and i helped with getting some things ready (although mom handled most of the actual cooking). but it was nice to be in the kitchen with her while daddy and jeromy spent time in the backyard in the shed. food and relaxation was the theme. we went to garden ridge late at night to take advantage of the christmas decoration sales.

we did something awesome-o thanksgiving weekend. we bought a new mattress and bed. our mattress was horrible and was bothering our backs. we could feel the springs and would wake up feeling like we had been beat up every morning. the bed was on sale on black friday, so it was mom’s early christmas gift to us. it’s made the biggest difference and is probably one of the smartest things we’ve done all year.

the house is all decorated for christmas. i loooove our christmas tree and jeromy did an amazing job on the lights outside. it’s great to have this first christmas as a married couple and to get our home set up. we’re going to be having my family over on christmas eve and jeromy’s family over on christmas day. it should be fun and i’m looking forward to the holiday. we’ve been doing a semi-good job on shopping. there are some neat gifts that we are getting. shopping for gifts is one of my most favorite things to do.

last weekend, jeromy and i met up with my family and we adopted an angel from the salvation army tree. it was a super fun night and it was neat to be able to do something like that. by putting together all of our money, we were able to get some great gifts for our angel. after the gifts were turned in, we ate at freebirds (one of my new favorite spots).

jeromy has been really sick. like really really sick. even when he doesn’t feel good, he still functions and goes on his way. but he’s been unable to do pretty much anything. he went to the doctor last week and got medicine, but it’s not helping at all. i have been battling getting sick all week. every morning i wake up feeling like crap. i battle it all day long, feel decent in the evening, and then go to bed only to get in the same cycle all over again. i hope he gets to feeling better soon so that he can enjoy christmas and our time off together.

we’re canceling our cruise. jeromy and i are still going to take some time off so that we’re out of town and making positive memories for our anniversary (i refuse to be at or around the house on march 1), but it just won’t be on a cruise ship. we never really got a honeymoon and it’s becoming more and more crucial that we both unplug for a week and spend some real time together. there are (hopefully) going to be some big/good changes for us next year. we’re going to pay debt off and slow down our lives. slow down A LOT. neither jeromy or i can keep up the pace that we’ve had in 2008. i thought i could balance it all, but i can’t, and the effects have been all too prevalent in the last few months. it’s been a rough year and we don’t get to spend the type of time together that we would like. i’m always working. even when i’m at home, i’m not really at home. between my job and red brick, i’ve let a lot of things go in my life. it’s all my doing, and i’m not whining, but there have been some wake up calls that are forcing me to align my actions with my priorities. we’ve been getting back to church, making time to read scriptures, spending more time with family, eating at home more, etc. we probably won’t feel the total effects of slowing down until after next spring due to commitments i’ve already made, but at least we’re making a plan. we’re both excited to see the fruit of these changes and shifts. it’s going to take some sacrifices and hard work to make big changes, but they will be well worth it.

that’s about it for now. i’m stoked to get this week over with… it’s the last full week for the year! i’m taking christmas eve through new years off… rawk. a week and a half to finish setting up house, catch up on edits, and relax. sa-weet!