Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays everybody!

I hope that everyone has had a safe and Merry Christmas and soon-to-be Happy New Year! This was my first Christmas away from my family, and I have to admit that it made me a little sad. The Peters did a wonderful job making me feel right at home though, and it turned out to be a very nice holiday. Kurt and I went over to his parent's house on Christmas Eve and shared a nice meal with his siblings and parents. Then we all gathered around the tree and exchanged gifts. Then we watched A Christmas Story. I haven't seen that movie since I was a little kid and it's actually quite funny and cute. Kurt and I retired to our own home that night around 11:00 and slept in a little the next morning (something that is never heard of at the Mulder home on Christmas morning thanks to certain younger sisters that I have) and we got up around 9:00. Kurt and I went into the living room and exchanged gifts that we had gotten for one another. He surprised me with some clothes and make-up and I got him a tool chest and a game. Around noon we went back over to Kurt's parents and ate leftovers and played games. At 4:00 we went to the bowling alley and played a few games altogether. We originally wanted to see Les Miserables but it was all sold out (no surprise there), but that was alright because we all went to see it the next day. It was excellent by the way! Loved Hugh Jackman. Anyways, Christmas was very nice and relaxing. I actually enjoyed being able to retreat to my own home and not have to travel. I miss a few of the traditions that I'm used to with my family, but it's nice to know that whoever we spend the holidays with, it will be fun, memorable, and comfortable.

Work has also been slow since all the students are gone at the moment so that has been a nice break. I have gotten a chance to work on some projects and bond with my co-workers a little more and it's been a lot of fun. All the girls I work with are becoming good friends of mine and it makes going to work a lot more enjoyable. I recently got to go to Dallas, Texas on a little business trip and learned a lot about my company. It gave me some enthusiasm about my job and a desire to work a little harder to be a great employee. That was a few weeks ago though, and the novelty is started to wear off a little bit. I'm starting to fantasize about nursing again and am feeling drawn towards going back to school to make it a reality. Who knows what the future really has in store. Kurt's been reminding me lately that sometimes I go overboard with the planning, so I'm forcing myself to take a step back again and work at things one step at a time. So for Right Here and Now I am gonna try not to forget to get milk at the store tomorrow and celebrate the New Year with
my sweet, sweet husband! I love him to death you know.

Happy New Year!

Settling In

Well things have calmed down and Kurt and I have settled into our routine and are pretty used to each other at this point. We pretty much feel like we've always been together. Work is back to being work and Kurt is finally done farming and home all the time now. It's nice to have him home to take care of things and keep Tom-Tom company. I feel like all I really do these days is work, but I have managed to throw in a few projects and exciting evenings. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talkin!

This was my first loaf of homemade bread. It actually turned out quite delicious. I felt very domestic.  

 Grandma Hickman gave us this lamp that was brass and had a different lampshade. I painted it and got it a new shade and now it is a nice new addition in our living room. 

These are some fall pics from the end of September. This was when it was very pretty and all the leaves were changing colors.  

There were so many leaves covering our driveway you could hardly see the pavement! 

This is my fall/Thanksgiving table setting.  

These are some fun napkins I found. I just like pumpkins.  

One of Kurt's purple potatoes that he got from the harvest. He is pretty much in love with them. 

 We bought these white ceramic salt-and-pepper shakers but I thought they looked weird white so I painted them. Now they are festive :)

Kurt was my big helper for setting up our Halloween decorations.  

If you look at the previous pictures, these bushes were not bright red before. I didn't know they would turn red and I thought they were so pretty.  

Yay for front yard cemetaries! Little did I know that it would be covered in snow within two weeks. 

Kurt took me to a Masquerade Ball at the Atrium. So fun! 

I did my hair all by myself! I was so proud.  

Kurt's mask was the best! I especially loved getting hit in the face by it all night... Nah I'm just kidding. He only hit me with it once and it was actually pretty funny. 

There were lots of people there who went all out and were fully dressed for the occasion. It was really fun to see.  

Reef and Tristan! 

Tristan, you look marvelous darling.  

Thanks for ruining my Halloween snow. Couldn't you have waited a few more weeks? 

Halloween table setting 

The flowers in the back are from my sweet husband :) 

 Kurt found these great outdoor lights at the DI that needed a little TLC. So he bought them and brought them home and I painted them and fixed them up. Now they look great and have replaced the ugly single lightbulbs that used to hang out by our doors. 

I am not looking forward to the upcoming winter. If the snow keeps up it's going to be a long winter too. For right here and now I am just trying to stay excited to head to So Cal for Thanksgiving. Disneyland here we come!

Married Life

A lot of people have been asking me lately how married life is. To be honest, it doesn't feel much different than single life. Kurt and I have been playing house for a long time now and the only big difference is that he gets to stay with me at night. We haven't really gone through a period of disillusionment where we shake our heads and ask ourselves "Oh my gosh. This is not the person I married!" I still love him just as much as before. No, actually I love him even more. He is the perfect husband. He is always so sweet and considerate. He takes great care of me. My only regret is that he has to work so much right now so that we can afford to have him focus on school come the winter time. He leaves for work at 6:30 am and comes home around midnight or 1:00 am. There have been a few days where he has been home by 10:00 pm and that feels like a special treat. I miss him terribly and always look forwards to Sundays because I know I'll get to spend the whole day with him. He is driving a tractor tearing up potato vines right now for work. They are getting ready for the harvest that's about to start in a few weeks, and then he will drive a crossover for the harvest. Luckily this schedule will only last until the beginning of November. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy the holidays without too much craziness. I have been keeping busy working my full time job at the plasma center, my part time job at the fire department, and putting our little home together. It seems like when I'm not working at the plasma center or fire department, I'm at home doing yard work, home improvement projects, cleaning, and/or cooking. I don't even have kids yet and I already feel like I have my work cut out for me. I don't know how moms do it. Props to you guys! It's definitely not easy. We are managing though and taking it one step at a time. I am really looking forward to having Kurt home more this winter, but for right here and now I am appreciating the time I have to work on myself and my home to make it the best I can.

Here are a few wedding picture sneak peaks!