Color Me Christmas

For the first time in my life, I am actually on top of things for the Holiday Season! We've got 35 gifts down and just 15 more to go! All but 3 of the remaining gifts have been figured out. I cleared off our dining room table and layed out everything, labeled and grouped items while Martin stood there shaking his head, as he so often does when I embark on projects. But I know he's grateful that I've been dedicated to staying organized and ahead of the game because I've been able to hit up some great deals and save us a good amount of dough! One of the best tips I've learned this season is how to save money on wrapping! I found 100 feet of the cutest paper on sale for $1.00 and bought a big ol' thing of very thick yarn for 3 buckaroos. Every gift is getting wrapped the same, which I think will look very nice under our future tree! Cha-ching, money saved by not buying a different bag for every gift! Call me Mrs. Saves-a-lot!

The Deathly Hallows Experience

Last night, finally, was the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One! I've been counting down since, well, honestly since I read the last page of Book 7 over 3 years ago! I must give a shout out to my hubby for his wonderful patience this past week as I have been a giddy moron! Thursday morning we woke up and the first words out of my mouth were, "Harry Potter day tomorrow!"

I spent yesterday in full on celebration. Our tickets were for the 8:10 IMAX show at Universal Studios, so I had some time to pass! I decided to prepare a surprise treat for my fellow Harry Potter fans that would be accompanying me......ta-da, Cauldron Cakes!



Then I decided I needed a visual to express my Harry Potter support and what better way to so so than to paint my tosies in Gryffindor Red and Gold!



All decked out and ready to go, we met Erin and her kids, Anna Marie & Jonathan, an hour and a half before showtime.



Only to find the longest line in the history of lines!!! Ok, not really, but it was a pretty serious line....



...and that's only 1/3 of it! No kidding! After much pacing and game planning, they finally let us in and we got really great seats! I didn't even have to tackle anyone to get them! Popcorn and wand in hand I sat in pure bliss for two and a half hours. It was amazing. I'm so grateful to be a fan of these books and movies! Part 2 opens next summer and I'm already making plans. Martin is so excited..... :)

Sweet Friends!

Last weekend the Stafford family, lifelong friends, came to Orlando for a Disney Family Vacation and we were so excited to meet up with them at the ESPN Zone at Disney's Boardwalk! It was GREAT to see them and it was Martin's first time to meet the legendary Big Al! We had a blast and wish we could have had a little bit more time together, but we look forward to our next visit, which we hope will be soon!

Harry Potter Here I Come

In just 6 days, the first part of the final chapter in the Harry Potter series will make it's big screen debut and I am all but having a heart attack! I am a huge fan of the books and movies and am literally counting down to this! We (me, Martin & my friend Erin) already have our tickets and you can bet I will be in line several hours ahead of time! In honor of the upcoming event, I thought I'd share a clip or two...

Happy 30th To Me!

Well, I thought 30 would be dreadful, you know, forcing me to officially become a grown up and therefore behave as such. But, really it was wonderful and I feel that, yes, I'm a married woman and must care for my responsibilities, but silliness and enjoying life doesn't have to end with your 20s! In fact, it is me and my quirkiness that people love so much and I have no intention of losing something that has brought these wonderful people into my life! Thank you to my friends for toasting my 30th into the night, my family for making me feel loved and important, and a special thanks to my husband, who puts a smile on my face everyday and makes me feel like I'm a bit more special than everyone else because God blessed me with you!

Here's how I rang in the Big 3-0:

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Siddy's Vacation!

My sister, Rachel, came to visit us for nine days! Its was awesome to have her and it made me realize how much I miss my family and wish we could see them all much more often!

While she was in town it was go, go, go! Her and I went to the beach one of the first days she was here, while Martin went to work (ha ha sucker!). Perhaps karma paid me a visit for teasing Martin about working because I suffered a severe sunburn and spent the next several days whining every timed I moved and proving that I am definitely not a true Floridian. But aside from the vengeful sun, the beach was wonderful, quiet and relaxing. Hurricane "something or other" was out in the Atlantic, as is the norm here in Florida from May to November, so the waves were quite exciting and my sister and I enjoyed splashing around in them!

Also during her stay, we played some putt-putt golf (where I lost shamefully), visited Downtown Disney, went to Sea World (my sunburn cursed me) and had a party!

I think one of the highlights of her vacation was our trip to Universal. As any Harry Potter fan could tell you, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Islands of Adventure earlier this year. Rachel made me wait until she could come into town to go, and even though I gave her a hard time about that, I'm glad I got to share the experience with her! They did an amazing job with the park. I got chills upon first walking under the Hogsmeade arch. I have to give the Universal peeps credit, they put a lot of stock in the details and any HP book reader will thoroughly enjoy it!

My Siddy's trip went by way too fast, but it was great! Just a reminder that all of our family and friends are always welcome to make the trip and our home is always open!

60 and still rockin'!

Way, way, way back in August (obviously I'm not keeping up with this as much as I would like!) we went home to Texas for my aunt Niecy's 60th birthday party! My parents threw a party at their home and it had a huge turn out! My mom went all out and everywhere you turned there were beautiful pictures of my aunt from the past 60 years! It was a wonderful party and Martin and I were so happy we were able to make it home! 60 years! What an amazing milestone! We love you Niecy!

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A good friend, Jennie Winkle, married her adorable beau, Keith Whitney this past weekend and the celebration was beautiful! Martin had to work, which at first I thought totally sucked, but ended up being a great excuse to party with my girls!! Erin, Ashley and I danced the day away and had our fair share of mimosas! Its was a great time and I am so very happy for Jennie and Keith!! We wish them many, many years of wedded bliss!

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Martin turned 32 on July 22nd and we a had a wonderful little celebration, just the two of us, at home!! I made Swedish tacos for dinner (his favorite) and then attempted, for the very first time, to make my mom's famous Triple Chocolate Cake! Some of you might remember the cake from our wedding, as Martin chose this for his groom's cake (which by the way, had my mom up all night baking!) I think the cake came out pretty well considering my inexperience. It definitely wasn't as pretty as Mama Bear's but the taste was there! Martin loved it, so I was satisfied! He had a great birthday and was surprised to receive so many gifts and calls! Thanks to everyone who thought of us!

Today my best friend Courtney's baby girl turns one! Happy Birthday Emma Claire!! They're celebrating with a big party today and I hate that Martin and I can't be there, but I'm sure its going to be fabulous!

A Weekend Away

About two weeks ago we packed a small suitcase and took off to Tampa. In all the years I've lived in Florida I had never actually been to Tampa, so it was nice to take a few days and see a new city! We went away for the weekend with another couple, our good friends Dwain and Abiya Stilson. On Friday we attended the Tampa Bay Rays game and witnessed a very historic "No Hitter". Martin and Dwain were thrilled! Abiya and I were, umm, also thrilled. :)

We spent Saturday at Busch Gardens which was tons of fun but really hot. And I mean HOT! Even the animals seemed hot as the majority of them did nothing but sit in small ponds of water in their exhibits all day! That's the thing about Florida, tons of stuff to do depending on how much you are willing to sweat!

Its off to work we go...

We are officially a two income household! Martin just began work with SeaWorld on Tuesday as an Accounting Clerk II. He seems to be enjoying it a lot. He'll be overseeing their culinary warehouse and inventory, which meant he had to have a day of training on proper food handling and storage. For me this meant a day of him watching me cook and store leftovers and telling me all about the proper way to do so!! He can be such a smarty pants!

I'm working for the Florida Theatrical Association. My office is located downtown and we work closely with Broadway Across America and True Marketing Entertainment. I work in the Box Office primarily with our Season Ticket Holders. I LOVE IT!! Everyone there is wonderful and the work is fulfilling. I'm surrounded by employees and patrons that truly love all things theatre! I feel I've been blessed with a pretty awesome opportunity. We're opening our own Community Theatre in September and I cannot wait to see what doors this might open!

As I said before, when Martin and I hit the road for Florida, my parents and sister took a week off to help us move. I know for a fact however, that they only agreed to the trip because they all three wanted to go to Disney World! And went they did, along with a trip to Busch Gardens, an airboat ride and a BBQ with all of our friends from the Sunshine State. It was a great mini-vacation and Martin and I certainly appreciated the help!

**Because my husband finds it humorous to only take pictures when no one is paying attention, the only picture of the five of us I have from the entire vacation is that one to the right. And yep, its of the five of us....that's my mom's arm over there on the far right edge.

All Settled In

Well, finally, yes, I know....finally, we are completely unpacked and all settled into our new home here in Florida. My parents and sister took a week off and helped Martin and I move into the new apartment. We are now the proud renters of a two bedroom, two bathroom first floor apartment. The complex is located in Stoneybrook, which is a golf course community in the Waterford Lakes area of Orlando. Our front door opens to a very secluded, very green area where we like to sit out and watch the wildlife. And by wildlife I mean the family of five raccoons, the mama and baby birds, and about a gazillion lizards! Not the most glamorous of farm animals, but they keep us entertained!! I can't even explain how much I loved unpacking all of my prized possessions that had been locked up in storage for two years! And on top of that, we are finally getting to enjoy all of the goodies we were gifted for the wedding!

We love our neighborhood! Whenever we go for a walk we always find ourselves strolling through the streets full of huge homes that are perfectly nestled on the golf course. Ahh to dream....one day, one day, but for now we are very happy with our little place and finally getting to be just the two of us.

Here are a few snapshots from the apartment! Enjoy :)

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Florida or Bust!

Got the news today! Our new apartment came through and we are hitting the road for the Sunshine State next Friday, April 23rd!! Martin and I are very excited about the move and being close to our Florida buddies again! Things on the job front are a bit hazy, but I have interviews set up for the first week we're there and I'm confident I'll find somehting!

Mom, Dad and Rachel are helping us with the move, but I'm pretty sure they only agreed because they get to enjoy a Walt Disney World Vacation!! Everyone is sooooooo ready for a vacation! I can't blame them! Just 7 more days!!!!

Here are some slideshows I put together with pictures from all of the events surrounding the wedding! We hope you enjoy!

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Lot's of people have been asking to see pictures from our Honeymoon, so I thought I'd post them here where everyone could look at them at their own convenience and also read from our trip journal so you know exactly what you're looking at! The slide show is in order, so just sit back and relax while we take you through the sunny state of California!

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Martin and I landed in San Diego, California on Friday, December 4th at 11:30am! Both more than ready for a nice long vacation, we collected our bags and immediately hit up the Denny's for breakfast! I know...how romantic!?! But we were still sleep deprived from the wedding extravaganza and needed fuel because the next 18 days were going to be jammed pack! Our goal was to drive up one side of California, then back down the other before Christmas!



Two days in San Diego: We took a drive across the Coronado-San Diego Bay Bridge, which was breath taking by the way, and spent a few hours walking the beach in front of the Coronado Beach Hotel. The good thing about being so close to a Naval Base is the free air show! We did a bit of plane watching and then enjoyed a very yummy dinner at Casa de Pico where, I of course, had a BIG margarita! The next day we spent the entire morning and afternoon at the San Diego Zoo. Martin and I love zoos! We've been to over 15 since we started dating, so the San Diego Zoo was a highlight for us! The weather was perfect and the surroundings gorgeous! Later that night we attended the December Nights Festival at Balboa Park. All of the museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts, The Old Globe, and the Botanical Building opened their doors for a huge food and wine Christmas Celebration! It was fabulous, albeit a bit crowded, as the news that evening said 200,000 people were expected to attend!



The next morning was early to rise as we hit the road on our way to Los Angeles. En route we stopped at La Jolla and visited The Children's Pool, which is the famous beach where over 200 seals have taken up home! The beach was beautiful; rocky with huge waves crashing in! We couldn't stay there forever however, after all, Hollywood was calling, so we took off in our rental and donned the over sized sunglasses as we came into L.A.

Our one full day in L.A. was the one day of the year it decided to rain in California! We joined a Hollywood Bus Tour which, despite the pouring rain, took us everywhere from Hollywood Boulevard to China Town to Snoop Dog's house. The celebrity home portion was my favorite part but I don't think Martin was impressed! We lucked out and were dropped off at Graumann's Chinese Theatre just when Robert Downey Jr. was receiving his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So we shook his hand and tallied off our star spotting score. Onto the Hollywood Sign, Muholland Drive, Fox Studios, Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip, and Santa Monica Pier. It was a long but exciting day! The next morning we went back to Hollywood Boulevard so I could check out the Kodak Theatre and NOT get rained on while I pretended to walk the red carpet in my invisible Oscar dress! Lunch at the Disney Soda Fountain fueled us up for the long drive to San Francisco!

San Francisco was a bit chilly, but that didn't keep us from driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and spending half a day on Alcatraz Island. The prison was cold and eerie, but incredibly interesting. That evening we strolled along Fisherman's Wharf and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on Pier 39. A side note here: Martin and I love HRC and try to eat at one every time we take a trip somewhere. We started a pin collection on our Honeymoon and are already up to 4!

We finished off San Fran by taking a self guided tour which included Ghiradelli Square (yummmmm chocolate), Union Square, Geary Street, Lombard Street, Alamo Square and Postcard Row. Driving through the streets of San Francisco is nothing short of a challenge, which is why I stayed in the passenger seat and pointed out all the pretty sights to Martin! :)

On Friday we took to the road again, this time on our way up to Lake Tahoe, but we chose the long way around and drove through Napa Valley. We enjoyed a bit of wine tasting on our tour through Beringer Vineyards. I was in pure heaven! The Vineyard was beyond beautiful and the wine scrumptious! Martin isn't a wine drinker, but he really enjoyed learning the wine-making process and the beautiful grounds. I finally got him to try a few sips of a couple of different wines and he was surprised at how yummy they were and ended up stealing my glass!

A huge snow storm hit the area that night, so we had a very interesting drive up to Tahoe. Snow chains were required and it was slow going, but the sights were well worth it! We spent the first day in Lake Tahoe just relaxing and catching up on sleep since we had been going non-stop from the moment we landed in Cali. Our hotel, 968 Park, was fabulous! After a day of doing absolutely nothing and loving it, we were rested up and ready to hit the slopes! We spent our first ski day at Sierra where I took a beginners class and Martin decided to try snowboarding. I was so proud of myself, never falling, not even once! I ate my words the next day though! This time we up to Heavenly and I spent 90% of the time face first in the snow. I'm not kidding! I eventually gave up and just rode the gondola back and forth while Martin hit the difficult slopes and practically looked like a professional. This is where growing up in Sweden really pays off!

Over the next 2 days we drove south, heading for Vegas! We stopped at King's Canyon National Park and walked the Grant Hiking Trail amongst the Giant Sequoias then had a picnic in the snow!

Las Vegas! You can see it coming from miles away and I must say, it lived up to all of the hype! We arrived late at night, so we familiarized ourselves with the hotel and then headed off to catch some zzzzzs. We stayed a bit off The Strip at Southpoint, but our room was amazing and huge! The hotel had everything, including a bowling alley, movie theatre and the biggest, best buffet I've ever seen in my whole life. I had to convince Martin to eat there, but once he saw everything it had to offer his eyes lit up and I bet he went back up to the food 10 times! That afternoon we walked The Strip and saw all the famous sights, including the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, the Bellagio Fountains (which put on a Christmas Show and were AMAZING!), Treasure Island, Coyote Ugly, the gondolas at The Venetian, Margaritaville and the MGM Grand (which had a really cool lion habitat). We had tickets to KA by Cirque Du Solei that night and enjoyed it immensely. After the show we did what everyone goes to Vegas to do, GAMBLE!!! We won a bit, then lost a bit, then won a bit more, had a midnight snack back at the hotel and then tried out the gambling there too! As with everyone in Vegas, we kind of lost track of time and it feels as though we gambled the next three days! I know somewhere in there we did head over to the Hoover Dam and enjoyed another meal at that wonderful (and now Martin's favorite) buffet!

And so, our Honeymoon came to an end and they forced us to return the rental car and board the airplane back home. It was a fabulous trip. A once in a lifetime experience!

We're legal!

Martin and I have been approved by the US Government! FINALLY! Basically this means he is legal to work. We still have to move onto the next step in immigration - applying for his green card - but at least now we can move forward, and out of the camper, and start living like an actual grown up couple! (No offense to mom & dad! Although they're probably more ready to get rid of us than vice-versa!)

The next week will be nothing but research and apartment/house hunting! We have come to a final decision: Florida it is! We were both torn between staying in Texas and moving back to Florida. Martin has become more attached to my home state than he ever expected to and I of course love being near my family, but we think a few years more in Florida is be an experience we just can't pass up!

As soon as we have the details of our move, I'll let everyone know!

Welcome!

The reason behind this blog is very simple: To keep all of our loved ones up to date! Martin and I had the absolute BEST time at our wedding and we know it had everything to do with sharing the momentous occasion with the people we care about most!

Our wedding website seemed to be such a hit that we felt like carrying it on to the next phase of our lives. Hopefully I will be much better at updating this than I am my own day planner :). Our hope is to keep everyone, near and far, in the loop! Feel free to make comments, ask questions, voice your opinions (although we make no promises to listen to them!) or simply visit quietly; either way, we hope you enjoy!!

Love,
Christy & Martin