Merry Christmas 2013! {xoxo}

This year I had trouble deciding what to send out for a Christmas card. I contemplated ordering a photo card because I felt behind schedule {thanks a lot late Thanksgiving} and there was a lot going on, but ultimately I decided I had to take the time to create something unique {and my lovely husband may have encouraged me because he knows I would've regretted it if I hadn't made them}.

Earlier this summer I opened a shop on Etsy to sell stationery and I have been working on adding more items to my shop; anytime I can exercise a little creativity I find that it usually leads to even more good ideas! I had a friend order some stationery sets to give as gifts this year and they included hand-drawn personalized icons, which is what gave me the idea for our Christmas card {they are not on Etsy yet, but I can do custom orders}! Thank you Maria! The stationery set I made for her birthday this year was one of my very first projects, so it's fitting that I would end the year with projects for her.

If you've read my blog before, you know that I like to write. That can be challenging when confronted with an itty bitty card that you're printing in a large quantity. My goals were that it would tell a story, spread Christmas cheer and the good news of Jesus' birth, be appealing to the eye and also appropriate for everyone receiving it. While I am creative at heart, that doesn't necessarily mean I am the best artist. I tried. If I had allowed my perfectionist side to come out during the making of this Christmas card I probably wouldn't have gotten it in the mail before Christmas day. Anyways, enough about my "creative" process. 

Here's the tree and the legend that were printed on the outside of the card {the tree was on the front, and the key on the back so you could lay the card flat and see them side by side as seen below}. 

And as I copy and paste the content from the card to expand on it, I notice a few misspellings. I guess that's what I get when I stay up until the wee hours of the morning... Oops!

HORSESHOE- Our home sweet home in Lexington and Lauren's brand new job. Lexington is considered the "Horse Capital of the World." Here's a brief background from Wikipedia: 

Lexington has been known as a major center for Thoroughbred breeding since the late 18th century due to the high calcium content in the soils of the InnerBluegrass Region, which leads to stronger bones and greater durability in horses. 

The city is home to two horse racing tracks, Keeneland and the The Red Mile harness track. Keeneland, sporting live races in April and October, is steeped in tradition; little has changed since the track's opening in 1936. The Red Mile Harness Track is the oldest horse racing track in the city and the second oldest in the nation. There you can see horses pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing, also known as harness racing. 

The Kentucky Horse Park, located along scenic Iron Works Pike in northern Fayette County, is a comparative late-comer to Lexington, opening in 1978. Although commonly known as a tourist attraction and museum, it is also a museum and working horse farm with a farrier and famous retired horses such as Cigar and 2003Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. The Since its opening in April 1978, the Kentucky Horse Park has hosted the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, which is one of the top 3 annual equestrian eventing competitions in the world and held immediately before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. In September and October 2010, Lexington hosted the World Equestrian Games,^[50] the first time the games were held outside of Europe. Since October/November 2011, the Kentucky Horse Park has hosted the National Horse Show.

The week of Thanksgiving I started a new job with the Race Track Chaplaincy of America {National Service Center}. It is an inter-denominational Christian organization aimed at ministering and meeting the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and educational needs of people working in the racing industry. {That's the short version, here's a great article about our organization that provides a larger picture}. I am blessed to have this new opportunity. 

ST. LOUIS ARCH- St. Louis & Kansas City road trip. In late April Alex and I drove West to Kansas City for the wedding of one of his former co-workers. Along the way, we stopped over in St. Louis! It was my first time visiting both cities and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought they were quite wonderful and it was an amazing trip, even though it was short! {Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/05/nothing-like-road-trip-to-kick-off.html}

LOBSTER- Road trip to Maine and the East Coast. We took an extended Labor Day holiday in order to drive East for the wedding of Alex's college roommate. Once again, I visited quite a few places I have never been. It was an exorbitant amount of driving, but we saw so many loved ones along the way and had a chance to spend some quality time together and just relax. I would love to go back to Maine one day, and Rehoboth Beach, DE. {Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html}

UK- Alex completed his third semester of his MBA program at the University of Kentucky. After finishing some prerequisite classes last summer, Alex started his MBA program in August 2012. Since then he has had class three days a week from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. {summers off!}. With his work schedule requiring a lot of after hours office time and traveling, it's been a grueling schedule. It was extremely challenging at first to adjust, but somehow we made it work. As I write this he's finishing up his last assignment for this semester and then he'll be done until Jan 15! I can hardly believe he'll be starting his last semester already; the time flew by and I am so proud of him. 

#3 CANDLE- We celebrated three years of marriage. Talk about time flying by! It's been a wonderful adventure so far and I am so thankful that we found one another. With Alex having a crazy schedule, we had a low key anniversary this year and spent the following weekend with his family who came in to visit {Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/10/september-celebrating.html}

WEDDING CAKE- Lots of beautiful "I do's". Last year and this year have been that time in our lives when everyone we know is getting married. It's so exciting to celebrate with them and reminisce about what it felt like to get married. We had eight or nine weddings this year! Congratulations to all of our friends and family members that tied the knot this past year! Here's a few blog posts about them:

• {from above: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/05/nothing-like-road-trip-to-kick-off.html, http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html}
• http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_08_01_archive.html

WELCOME MAT- Friends and family came to visit. We had a few visit from friends and family this year. It's surprising we had that many visitors considering how often we were out of town. Pat Janesz wins the award for being our most frequent visitor! Visitors are always welcome, so let us know if you'd like to come down for a visit or even just a stopover. We are not far from Cincinnati and are on the way to quite a few warm weather destinations!

• Cousin Fran & My College Roommates: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_04_01_archive.html
• My Mom and Her Friend, Denise {from High School} http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/07/girls-weekend-in-lex.html
• Janesz Fam: {posted above} http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/10/september-celebrating.html

BEER- Alex attended the Siebel Institute of Technology for a course,  "Starting your own Brewery." Life has just been flying by and as a result Alex and I try to take advantage of every opportunity that we can. Alex's dream is to one day open a brewery, so he took advantage of his summer break by heading to Chicago to attend a three day course at the Siebel Institute of Technology which is America's oldest brewing school {more history here}. They had instructors from various breweries and drank beer during class {for learning purposes of course haha}. Here was the curriculum: 

• Brewery Process and Design:
  • Anatomy of a Commercial Brewery
  • Buying Brewing Equipment & Fermentation Capacity
  • Buying and Starting Up Packaging Equipment
  • Site Selection and Practical Considerations in Building a Brewery
  • Utilities, Waste Water & Regulations
• Restaurant Operations
  • Restaurant Components and their Management
  • Steps in Creating a Successful Restaurant
  • Site Selection and Real Estate Considerations
• Marketing Your Venture
  • Public Relations and Events
  • Packaging Design and Point-of-Sale Materials
• Distribution
  • Finding a Distributor
  • Franchise Laws
  • Working with Distributors
• Business Plan Creation
  • Financial Measures and Statements
  • Anatomy of a Business Plan
  • Researching and Writing Your Business Plan

P.S. It's taking place June 9-11th, 2014 if you want to go!

OHIO OUTLINE- Cincy, Columbus, Cleveland. Repeat. I was very tempted to go through our calendar and count all of the weekends we were in each city, but I got tired just by thinking about it. We are lucky to be close to my family and some of Alex's extended family in Cincinnati, so we make that trip frequently. Sometimes we even just go up for the day. We also drive to Cleveland once every month or two, and whenever we do, we usually stop by Cincinnati for dinner with my family on our way back; it helps break up the drive! Two of my best friends from college are in Columbus, along with Alex's youngest brother at OSU, so we usually end up visiting there every so often as well.  

• Last Christmas: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_01_01_archive.html
• May/June: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_06_01_archive.html
• http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/07/add-another-c-city-to-list.html
• July/August {posted above}: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/08/first-comes-love-then-comes-marriage.html
• Sept {posted above}: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html}
• October: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/11/seeing-blue-scarlet-just-plain-clearer.html

BLOCK O- Columbus + Football Festivities. Alex won us football tickets through the alumni lottery so we went up for the San Diego State game which happened to be on his birthday. We went back up in October just to tailgate. Alex's former co-worker and Buckeye came in from Texas so we had a little gathering of old friends and new friends. It's surreal to walk around campus, because I feel so old, yet my experiences all comes rushing back to me when I'm there and it feels like yesterday.

• Sept {posted above}:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html
• October {posted above}:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/11/seeing-blue-scarlet-just-plain-clearer.html

WPJH- The initials of our families' surnames together. I am so incredibly thankful to have married into such a wonderful family and that my family adores Alex as well. Our families have a tradition of going out for drinks and appetizers every time the Janesz clan is in Cincinnati {usually Christmas and Memorial Day}. My parents are always welcome at the Janesz Family Sausage Making during Easter in Cleveland and the Harshman Memorial Day picnic. My caring in-laws came to Toledo for my Grandpa Wagoner's funeral this past March to show their support for my family. Our parents even spend time together when we are not there! I couldn't imagine our lives without all of them. There might even be a Peterson-Janesz family vaca in the future even...

• Last Christmas {posted above}:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_01_01_archive.html
• Easter:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_04_01_archive.html
• Memorial Day:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_06_01_archive.html

CANNED GOODS- Our Power for Life Food Drive. Alex was inspired to coordinate a food drive this past summer to help give back to the community {more here: https://www.facebook.com/PowerforLifeFoodDrive}. I also helped with some of the coordination, along with one of our friends, Amy, that also works in the electrical industry. After all of our hard work it was so rewarding to drop off all of the food together and discover that we had brought in over 700 pounds of food! Not bad for our first effort! Hopefully, we will be able to do it again next year.

PALM TREE- A trip to Charleston, SC for 4th of July. My lovely friend and my first college roommate, Karleya, invited us to join her and her husband on a road trip to Charleston, SC. Her parents moved there within the past couple years. The only time I had been to Charleston previously was to have dinner and pick up a cruise ship during my senior year of college. It was beautiful weather and company with no shortage of delicious food and drinks. Her parents are fantastic hosts and it's always nice to see them. I would go back without a doubt!

{Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/07/add-another-c-city-to-list.html}

BRIEFCASE- Alex started a new job in April. During one of Alex's college courses Spring Semester 2012 his professor encouraged them to always be open to other opportunities. He took his professor's advice just as a learning opportunity and the next thing he knew he was starting a new job. It is always bittersweet to move on, especially when you still love your job, but his new job has been an amazing learning opportunity. It has provided him with the chance to learn more about the inner workings of a business as a whole and how to build a business. 

HAMMER & NAILS- Home improvements; all new ceiling fans & exterior lights, plus a garage overhaul! It seems like we are finally done with upgrades to the house for now. I still need to paint my back doors and we're hoping to update our small guest bathroom, but we are satisfied for now! Over the past two and a half years we have put a lot of sweat equity into this place and it's nice to see it come together. This year our biggest projects were replacing all of the ceiling fans and the exterior lights as well as overhauling our garage. A lot of the smaller projects I have done on my own, but these were two projects that Alex and I did together and I always love how well we work as a team. 

• Laundry Room: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_02_01_archive.html
• Fan/lighting replacements: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/05/being-homebod-and-traveler-is-not.html, 
• To see the front porch railing and the garage overhaul visit my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/organizedesignbylpj. There are also lots of mini projects posted there too!

It's crazy to look back on the past year and remember everything that's happened. Sadly, my blog and my facebook pictures actually help me keep track of it all! It makes me very excited for what's to come next year. Now we just have to wrap up the rest of our week and then it's time to celebrate Christmas with our families. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And now to close, the most important part of our Christmas tree.

Seeing Blue, Scarlet & Just Plain Clearer

After Alex's family came down from Cleveland to visit it really started to feel like fall around here. The leaves starting falling and the temperatures started dropping {although it seems to have bounced back a little bit}. I raked leaves in our front yard a few times because I remembered how awful it was last year doing it all at once. Unfortunately my efforts didn't go too far; our street is named Oak Place Ct for a reason...

Our efforts from this past weekend

The leaves I can definitely do without, but it wouldn't be fall without football and tailgating. Alex's co-worker invited us to his UK tailgate a few weekends ago. It's fun to be in that atmosphere with the beautiful weather and all the delicious food and drinks {that's why I really go of course}, but I have to say it's very strange to look around and only see bright blue. I still haven't gotten used to that. I also haven't gotten used to all of the SEC talk. Not much Big Ten love down here.

Commonwealth Stadium

The tickets he gave us ended up being in an amazing spot. The first time I went to Commonwealth Stadium it felt like a high school stadium in comparison to The Shoe, but this time I could appreciate it's size because it meant no nosebleed seats! For me, that does make it a little more enjoyable because I can actually see what's going on down on the field and the players don't look like ants.

Karleya and I at The Rossi in Columbus

The next weekend we headed up to Columbus to Buckeye land. We stayed with my friend Karleya and her husband and had a little reunion with some of our out of town friends, Bri, Pete & Chrissy, who also happened to be Alex's former co-workers from Eaton {also known as the LDP {Leadership Development Program} group}. This time we only admired the stadium from afar, which was fine with me because the weather did not cooperate. It was cold and rainy the majority of the day. We did a little bar hopping and managed to stay warm enough to enjoy ourselves! I felt at home because everywhere I looked there was Scarlet and Gray with no blue in sight!

Me, Alex and Chrissy

Chrissy, Bri and I

Pete & Bri

Pete & Chrissy

Alex and I

After the game ended we had to walk our way through campus back to our car. It's strange to walk around campus because part of me feels like it was so long enough that I attended OSU, but the other part of me still remembers walking those routes like it was yesterday. Of course, in honor of reliving our college days we had to stop by the RPAC {the rec facility} to visit Alex's youngest brother Ethan who was working. Both Alex and I worked there in different departments.

After finally getting back to our car we watched a little more football and then retired. I am definitely getting "old" {in comparison to college} because my body cannot handle all day marathons like that anymore. I get more excited by the prospect of going to bed early than staying out late and partying. In the morning we packed up and had breakfast with Ethan, his girlfriend Anna and the LDP crew, Bri, Pete & Chrissy. It was a fitting end to our weekend of shenanigans.

The following weekend we went to a Halloween party hosted by some friends of our friends. It got the creative juices flowing to plan some Halloween costumes and it was nice to get out and meet some new people. Right before the party while we were getting ready we had a little candy incident that I wish I had caught on camera.

Rewind a couple days... while I was at the grocery I picked up some Halloween candy. I was attempting to hide it from Alex since he is a candy monster and I specifically did not mention to him that I had gotten it, until plans changed. I knew once he found out he would have to find it.

Well it turned out my LASIK surgery was scheduled for the morning of Halloween. I wouldn't be in any shape to hand out candy and Alex would be at class so I mentioned this conundrum to him. Fast forward to the day of the party... know that he had known about the candy for a couple of days he couldn't resist temptation any longer, so he went on a scavenger hunt around the house until he found the stash.

I attempted to hide it again until I could get it safely out of the house the next day {I donated it to my neighbors who hadn't picked theirs up yet}. I choose to put it in the dryer with some of my clothes thinking Alex wouldn't find it. Well, apparently it was so well hidden that when he put his Halloween costume in the dryer to de-wrinkle it he didn't see the bright green bag and he hit start. A few seconds later all of the candy was dumped out everywhere{because of course we had snitched from each bag since they were different varieties}.

I wish I had gotten a picture because it was a priceless scene. Alex was on his hands and knees scooping candy out of the dryer. Luckily the candy was not injured in the process and went to our neighbors the next day.

Later that week came the actually day of Halloween. Early in the morning Alex and I got ourselves together to head to the surgery center. My first treat on Halloween was a valium. Then before I knew it, it was already time to get situated for the light show. The procedure itself went pretty quickly and was painless. Mostly it was just a little uncomfortable at times and there were a lot of bright blinking lights. Afterwards I got my second treat of the day, a painkiller and some pretty goggles.

My stylish LASIK goggles

The drive home via the pharmacy was a little rough because my numbing drops had worn off and it didn't feel like my painkiller had kicked in. To top it all off I had goggles on my eyes and couldn't open them so I felt helpless, which freaked me out a little bit {I'm a little bit of a control freak}!

After 30 minutes, which seemed like forever, we got back home and I took some more medication to help me sleep. After four hours I woke up and the pain was gone just like they promised. I rested the remainder of the day and "listened" to a couple of my favorite movies on my laptop while Alex was at class {I could not fathom napping any more}.

Meanwhile, I received a text from my neighbor telling me trick-or-treating had been reschedule to Friday and that I could have my candy back. So it turns out I didn't miss handing out candy after all, and the best part was that Alex was able to join me too!

My eyes feel great and I have just been keeping up on all my drops. The results of my post-op appt were that I now have 20/20 vision! {I'm not exactly sure what it was before, I know my contact prescription was -4.0 and when I didn't wear them pretty much everything was blurry and I would get a headache within 5 minutes}. I still have a little blurriness, but that will gradually fade over the next week. I don't think it's completely set in just yet about the implications of this surgery.

I started wearing glasses when I was in 4th grade and got contacts the following year. They have been such an integral part of my life that during my LASIK consultation I literally asked... "So, how long after the surgery until I can start wearing my contacts again?" As soon as the words tumbled out of my mouth I realized what I was saying and I started laughing. I haven't known anything else for a very long time {16 years, or almost half of my life}, but I am already finding out and let me tell you, it's totally worth it.

East Coast Road Trip + Alex's Bday

Alex and I have had plenty of opportunities to travel over the summer. Most of these trips have been over a short weekend, or maybe an extended holiday like our 4th of July trip to Charleston. We finally had the chance to take a "vacation," once again extending from a holiday weekend, Labor Day Weekend! This trip stemmed from our friends' wedding in Maine! We've never been out that direction, so we boldly decided to drive so we could see some people along the way, and take in more of the sights than we would be able to if we traveled by plane.

We had determined our plans for the front half of our trip in the middle of the summer, but the second half was tricky! There were so many possible stops on the way back that it was really challenging to narrow it down, but finally a couple weeks ago we made a decision! Here's a little more about our crazy trip of 2600+ miles:

DAY ONE {420 MILES}
Alex and I drove six hours to Pittsburgh, PA to stay with the groom-to-be for the night. There was going to be a caravan leaving from Pittsburgh the next day so we were inspired by their route and timetable for traveling. {I forgot to mention that before this even occurred Alex had already driven 700+ miles throughout TN and NC earlier in the week for work}.

DAY TWO {436 MILES}
In the morning we met Alex's sister Eileen for breakfast in Oakland {near downtown}. She's a Senior in Musical Theater at Point Park University there. Typically during the year she's busy working and performing so we don't get to see her as much as the other siblings! We had to take advantage of the opportunity to see her while we were in town. After breakfast I was a little disappointed when we had to drop her off at class, because we had such a nice visit!

Then it was back in the car again for our next destination in New York. We drove about six more hours before we arrived in Pawling, NY {near Poughkeepsie} at my friend Maria's place. We were college roommates at Ohio State and now she's a wife, mom and grad student! Maria, her husband Kevin and their two year old daughter Josie, have been living in Upstate New York and the surrounding area since graduating, so needless to say, our opportunities to see them are few and far between! We had dinner and enjoyed a relaxing evening together. It was wonderful to see them in their own element and spend some quality time together. I always want more time with my friends and family, but I've just learned to appreciate the time we do have together because it's better than nothing!

DAY THREE {296 MILES}
In the morning Kev made us a delicious frittata and then we explored their new digs and the school campus where he's teaching and coaching this year. It was so fun to see and I can't wait to hear their stories next time we're all together!

Then it was time to get in the car again for some uncharted territory this time. We drove through quite a few states that we have never been to which is always intriguing. There are so many similarities between each state, but there are also those little unique identifiers as well that are fascinating to discover.

We finally arrived in Maine at the Kossow Lodge around dinner time {located in Raymond, ME about 30-45 minutes north of Portland}. The rest of the gang from Pittsburgh was there as well so there was quite an entourage of friends. It was really cool to see so many people come to town for the special occasion. After a quick change we all drove over to the bride's {Ashley} mom's bar in a nearby town. We enjoyed pizza and beer, their version of a rehearsal dinner. It was great to unwind, play some games and try some new beers with new friends.

DAY FOUR {0 MILES}
The next morning Alex and I went for a nice long walk and explored the area around Lake Crescent. Our legs definitely appreciated the exercise. The rest of the afternoon we helped prepare for the wedding before getting ourselves together. It was pretty hot and steamy, but luckily it cooled down by ceremony time! I was expecting it to be warm during the daytime, but was pretty surprised at how warm it remained in the evening hours as well.

After the ceremony we enjoyed cocktail hour while the bridal party took pictures. I loved trying some of the local seasonal beers. I am a sucker for a good fruit beer or a pumpkin beer. Dinner consisted of lobsters, clams, corn and baked potatoes. Ashley's family is from Maine so they came around to check on all of us Midwesterners to see how well we were doing with the lobsters. It seemed a little involved if you ask me! I was glad that I ordered chicken. I got a few lobster bites after Alex had put in all of the hard work haha.

Then the dancing ensued until finally the only people left were those staying at the lodge. We just couldn't resist the amazing weather so we all decided to get into the lake around 10 or 11pm; it was such a blast!

DAY FIVE {542 MILES}
The next morning we woke up and it was down pouring! I was glad the weather had held out for the wedding, but wasn't so excited to have to pack up the car in it! This was the longest leg of our drive, but it went surprisingly smooth {9+ hours}. We passed what felt like an infinite amount of Dunkin' Donuts and went through toll booth after toll booth. After driving through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and half of Delaware we finally made it to Rehoboth Beach with our wallets about $40 bucks lighter {Note to self: don't forget to budget toll roads next time}.

We checked into our hotel about two blocks from the boardwalk and after freshening up we hit the town on two legs with the goal of not using the car until it was time to leave. It seemed like a lot of the crowd had headed home now the the official holiday weekend was over, but it was still pretty busy! We found a great little spot on Rehoboth Avenue called the Back Porch Cafe. We ordered some crab ravioli with lemon sauce and a filet to share. It was rewarding to indulge a little bit after all of our driving! Afterwards we walked along the ocean and grabbed some ice cream to share {Love to share everything with Alex because then I can try more food without getting so full and it's more cost effective!}.

The Boardwalk from the Beach

DAY SIX {16 MILES VIA BIKE}
After a good night's sleep we walked back to the boardwalk to pick up a couple of bicycles. We biked over to the next town, Lewes {the first town in the first state} and then back to Rehoboth Beach. I don't think I have ever biked that far so I was pretty proud of myself! After returning our bikes and changing we split a couple of fish tacos at a nearby Mexican restaurant before hitting the beach. The sun was shining and there was a perfect breeze. I love a good warm breeze. We even spotted a few dolphins pretty close to shore! Unfortunately, the water was a a little too chilly for swimming by our standards, but all I really needed was the view anyways!

After we were both showered and fresh again we hit the town for a little restaurant/bar hopping {I  know I am on vacation when I'm showering every night before dinner}. We ended at a restaurant with the most amazing rooftop. It was a Japanese restaurant and the entire roof was a giant coy pond. There was a deck built on top that had one main walkway with a few alcoves off of it where there were wooden tables and pagodas with white curtains. We enjoyed a few cocktails and some Smoked Edamame while the sun went down. The only thing that would've made it better would've been a view of the ocean.

DAY SEVEN {278 MILES}
After a brief, but relaxing stay, it was time to pack up the car again! We drove about 20 minutes to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE where we had a tour and enjoyed some beer sampling as well as a couple beer flavored Italian sausages {I'd love to try to replicate some of those. What a perfect pairing}. Then we drove to Alex's Aunt Wendy and Uncle Bill's place in Verona, VA. It was our first time there and it was almost idyllic. I wish we could've stayed longer to visit them and explore the area, but it's definitely close enough to home to plan another trip out there! Normally, when we see them during the holidays it's when all of the extended family is together, so it was nice to have a little time with just the four of us.

DAY EIGHT {397 MILES}
The next morning we packed up again, this time for home. Since leaving Rehoboth we had gained a pack of beer from Dogfish Head and a few fresh zucchinis and cucumbers from Wendy and Bill's garden. Yumm! After one more six hour stint we were finally home! I loved seeing how the scenery changed from state to state. Our final drive through VA and WV was really picturesque {Ohio is still the winner for the most boring drive!}. Once we arrived home Alex had to head to his first class of his second and final year of his MBA Program. I promptly unpacked everything, hit the grocery store and started all of our laundry {a week's worth of clothes x2, four beach towels, a set of sheets and a few blankets}. It's not fun to unpack right away, but I find it gives me more peace of mind that night and I don't have to dread it the next day following vacation!

And as if that wasn't enough, there's more to this "vacation"...

DAY NINE {16 MILES}
The next morning we got up early and headed downtown to a Habitat for Humanity build site. The timing was just too perfect, we couldn't pass it up! Alex gets time off for community service so he was able to add it on to our vacation. It's something we'd been wanting to do for a while. Alex and I spent the whole day working out all of our muscles, including those that I didn't even know that I had. It was so rewarding to see the house go from just a foundation to one with walls and a floor plan.

They still have quite a lot more work to do on the house, but we're hoping to volunteer again once it's time for the interior painting. That's really my forte as opposed to swinging a hammer and carrying 2x4's!

DAY 10 & 11 {210 MILES}
After an evening of pizza and an episode of Sons of Anarchy {our guilty pleasure} we packed up again for another road trip! A shorter one this time. Alex had gotten alumni tickets for OSU vs San Diego State. He wanted to go to the game and it happened to be his birthday as well, so we said why not? We drove up to Columbus and met up with two of his brothers, the youngest is a sophomore at OSU and the other lives in Cleveland so he had driven down to meet us.

We tailgated and then went to the game where the sun beat down on us and the team beat down on San Diego State. After the game Alex spent some time with his brothers and their friends and I had a relaxing evening with my friend Karleya, whose birthday also happened to be this past week! This morning we all went to brunch together at North Star Cafe before Alex and I headed back home. Home Sweet Home. For at least five days anyways...

It's 2013 Already?

This year I starting thinking about buying Christmas gifts in September. I planned out when I would order my Christmas cards and updated my excel document of addresses for easy mailing in advance. The next thing I know, the decorations are up and Alex and I are already attending holiday parties.

Planning in advance this year definitely allowed me to enjoy the holidays more because I had more time to focus on the important moments while they were happening instead of getting caught up in all of the minute details. Okay, let's be real, I was still a stress ball. One of the most overwhelming things about the holidays is planning all of our travels! Somehow, everything always ends up working out in the end.

My work holiday party

The first two weekends in December we spent with our coworkers at our respective holiday parties. The Friday before Christmas we drove up to Cleveland. We went to the Janesz family Christmas party and then to a holiday party hosted by our friends. The remainder of the holiday was spent mostly in comfy clothes relaxing. I read and watched countless movies. Alex made beer with his dad and gamed with his siblings. We went to church a couple times. That's the short version, but all in all it was a visit filled with lots of R&R and quality time with family and friends.

We headed back to Lexington in a blizzard the day after Christmas. I went into the office for a couple days to get caught up on a few work things and send out the payroll checks. After unpacking we promptly repacked for a long weekend in Cincinnati. We enjoyed dinner and a gift exchange with my parents. The next day we spent with Alex's family and members of the Harshman clan at his Grandpa's house. That evening we met back up with my parents for our traditional Peterson-Janesz Cock and Bull English Pub gathering. As always it proved to be an enjoyable evening.

It's such a wonderful feeling to have a tradition that brings our two families together! We have a little too much fun I think...

The next day we went to my parent's church and had the pleasure of seeing my mom play handbells during the service. It was an interesting experience because it was also the first time we had seen the renovated sanctuary. My entire life (or as long as I can remember) it's been the same, and now it's not. As much as we move on in our lives, sometimes it's still surprising when the things from our past change too.

That afternoon we partook in another Christmas tradition - Swedish pancakes, at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Since I was in elementary school we have always made Swedish pancakes for our Christmas meal with my dad's side of the family. My dad has Swedish roots on both sides of his family. They are less cakey and have the consistency of a crepe. We make small sand dollar size ones in a griddle and then you top them with lingonberries {or lingonberry sauce}, which have a similar flavor to cranberries. When my cousins and I were young we would have contests to see who could eat the most. I still love them. They're delicious, but they also remind me of many happy memories.

That evening I met up with a few of my college roommates for dinner. As always, we had so much to talk about and there never seems to be enough time. It was great to catch up with them. We've been through so many different situations with one another, and it's special to see where we've all ended up knowing everyone's back stories and hardships. Love them!

New Year's Eve we went to the Newport Aquarium with my parents and explored. We had a late lunch and just enjoyed the afternoon. That evening Alex and I had a low key New Year's Eve with some close friends. A perfect close to a hectic holiday! It felt like our second visit was over before it even started. I hate that feeling when a trip, a weekend or a holiday finally comes to an end. I just feel disappointed that I can't spend every waking minute hanging out with my family and friends. The fact that I can't though, is what makes it that much more enjoyable and special when we are together.

Now we're both back to work, our resolutions are hanging on the fridge and our calendar is filling up for the next few months. It's almost half way through January already! Alex has started his second semester at UK and it looks like this year it's going to be just as busy as last year. Phew. Life is crazy, but oh so good.

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly

I'm quite jolly that I am finally getting around to blogging this morning. It's Sunday morning, and I woke up to a heavy rain outside my window. I left Alex sleeping and I am making myself some coffee and am curled up on the couch in front of our Christmas tree. I love the way the lights twinkle and the ornaments reflect the light. Our Christmas tree gives off such a warm glow and evokes happy thoughts, which stem from a childhood of Merry Christmases. Once I put the tree up, I never want to take it down.

The past two months have flown by. I had so many thoughts for a blog posting and just never gave myself enough time to sit down and do it. Even though I blog for fun, it's still a creative process for me and I have to be in the right state of mind so that it doesn't start to feel like another chore on my to do list.

{A little sidebar on my found love for blogging: I have always loved to read and write. I would devour books when I was younger and still love to read. I would keep a diary when I was in elementary school and gradually got into writing through my classes at school. I had a pen pal in England that I wrote to for years. I was in an advanced reading class and still read for pleasure every night before bed, whenever I wasn't talking to a boy on the phone. I loved to write poetry in my spare time and for class. I eventually became an Editor for a poetry group through the Cincinnati Library as well as the Co-Head Editor of my high school yearbook. I considered starting a novel and even saved a few beginnings on my computer.

I took a cue from my mom and corresponded with both of my grandmothers the old fashioned way once I moved away for college. Although I considered applying to Ohio University's Journalism Program, I somehow wound up at Ohio State in the Business Program focusing on Marketing, which also relies heavily on words. Somewhere between graduating from high school and college I was introduce to the world of blogging. I always loved scrapbooking and taking pictures so it seemed to be a natural fit. Now it's a way for me to express my creativity and keep in touch with everyone. I still think it would be fun to write a children's book with my mom, but I am still trying to figure out my true passion}

October included two more beautiful weddings which concluded the wedding season for 2012.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cincinnati and our weekend trip to Chattanooga, but there is truly no place like home! The last weekend in October we made a day trip to Elk Creek Winery to meet up with my parents to celebrate my Dad's birthday. Although it was slightly chilly weather we had a great day together and it was fun to explore somewhere new.

In November we enjoyed some down time, but also had some visitors to Lexington. Pat and our friends Rob and Tricia came in for a weekend and we visited the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, KY. The weather was absolutely perfect for our adventure. The men also had some business to attend to with their new venture, One Twenty Properties. Since then, things have been progressing smoothly with their first rental property, but I'll leave that to Alex to share. I am so proud of all of the hard work they've done so far, but mostly I am so ecstatic to see one of Alex's dreams becoming a reality. He's such an inspiration to me.

Tricia snapped a picture of us at Woodford that became our Christmas card for this year!

The following weekend we finally bought a washer and dryer after a year and a half without one! It's taken quite a while, but our house finally feels like a completely home, although the projects will never end. As excited as I was to get a washer and dryer it was a little bittersweet. Alex and I would go to the laundromat every other Sunday before church. We'd let the clothes dry while we went to church right now the street. Then we'd come back and fold everything together. It was married teamwork at it's finest. It's one of the moments I think I'll always remember as part of our journey as newlyweds.

We then spent Thanksgiving with my family in Toledo, and Alex's family in Cleveland. It was also a nice chance to see many of our friends in Cleveland. I love that we can always count on our friends to get together for the holidays. The following weekend it was time to switch months and holidays and go to my work Christmas party. This weekend we did a little Christmas shopping and gift wrapping. Alex is spending today studying for his finals which come up in a few days. I'll be finishing up all our of Christmas cards and doing some things around the house, maybe even letting myself watch a cheesy holiday flick while I am at it.

I can't believe Alex is almost done with his first semester at UK! It was a challenge from the start for both of us, but we've adapted pretty well and it should get easier from here. It seems like as soon as you adapt to your set of circumstances everything changes, and you have to start again. I've been keeping myself busy with a book club, work out classes and plenty of chores and errands. I am always signing myself up for more home improvements too. They never end! After Alex's finals this week, we'll be heading to Louisville for his work Christmas party. It'll be a great chance to unwind and have a little fun. After that it'll be time for Christmas in Cleveland and then another round in Cincinnati. Phew! It can be an exhausting, stressful time of year, but I have made every attempt to keep it simple this year and just remember 'tis the season to be jolly for so many reasons. 

Growing Up Is Hard To Do?

Unfortunately for Alex and I we are no longer experiencing the "good" kind of growing pains. Alex just turned 27 a few days ago, and my 26th birthday happens to be today. We are no longer growing taller or stronger (well let's be honest, I think we both hit our maximum height in the 8th grade). Nope, now that we're officially closer to 30 we're both starting to enjoy the effects of getting older. Don't get me wrong, we're both perfectly healthy, but it's interesting to notice the slight changes, like how we can't sit indian style for too long and how our back hurts when we sit in the car for hours on end.

All in all, neither of us mind "growing older," but what really makes us feel old, is not growing old itself, but watching others around us grow up. Witnessing all of our friends and peers getting married has been a blessing and it's so great to see them settle down in their happiness. For those of our friends that are having babies, you are definitely making me feel old! While we may be in our mid-20's we don't always feel that way at heart. Perspective is a tricky thing, sometimes I feel like high school was just a couple years ago and other times I feel older than I truly am. I also learned this past weekend at Jon and Jen's wedding that the Cleveland gang will never outgrow the double dutch, and the boys will never outgrow Ignatius or singing the alma mater... Somethings never change.

Jon & Jen's Wedding - 9.8.12

One of the most surreal experiences lately was seeing Ethan, Alex's youngest brother, off to college. When Alex and I started dating he was in 8th grade! He chose to go to OSU (good choice) and happened to end up in Morrill Tower, which is the matching dorm to the one both Alex and I stayed in when we were freshmen. While we were unloading the car and taking his stuff up to his room it felt exactly the same as it did when I moved in, but this time I wasn't the one moving in. I felt nostalgic at the time because I had wonderful memories at OSU, but I am definitely over that phase of my life and am happy to be where I am now. It will be fun to tailgate with Ethan and pick him up for holidays on our way up to Cleveland.

OSU 2007

Ethan's move-in day

There was another Janesz that started at a new school in August named Alex. He started the two-year evening MBA program at the University of Kentucky. I am so proud of him for having the guts and the determination to go after his dream, although it has had it's challenges already. Now that Alex is back in school I feel like even more of a grown up because in order to support him and let him make the best use of his time I have the opportunity to do everything around the house (that's not to say that he doesn't help out when he can). I have told Alex  numerous times already that I almost feel like his mother because I'm always hitting the grocery store and buying things for his dinner and asking him if he has finished his homework and how his class went. 

While Alex has his full class schedule, he's also busy at work with his co-worker retiring next month. We both seem to be challenged at work and home lately, which doesn't always feel like a good thing at the time, but it forces us to grow as individuals and as a couple. There are still a few key weddings to go this season, as well as our two year anniversary, but we're looking forward to having a few weekends at home to enjoy fall in Lexington. 

“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” {Karen Kaiser Clark}