Christmas in November

So my husband insisted that we put up our Christmas tree this Sunday (even though it's only November and Thanksgiving isn't until Thursday).  So I insisted that we take some holiday pictures!  So here they are :)  Merry Christmas... I mean Happy Thanksgiving!

The heat is on...

Well ladies and gentlemen... it's that time of year.  Pumpkin carvin', caramel apple eatin', apple cider drinkin' guzzlin', trick or treatin', hay ridin', bonfire startin', leaves changin', temperature droppin', football watchin', scarves, boots, & hoodie wearin' time of year! And let me tell you.... I LOVE IT.  Not to mention THANKSGIVING, my favorite holiday! Nothing feels better after a long hot summer than the cool breeze of fall. (Well if you love it so much, why don't you marry it?) I love fall so much I just had to get married to... my wonderful husband during it and therefore now have a fall anniversary.  Just one more reason for me to get all warm, and happy, and giddy for FALL!


It's all been smiles and giggles for fall... until today... when my warm feelings were frozen into an icy tundra.  I'm not much of a morning person as it is but when I wake up shivering suffice it to say I could be described as less than happy.  It was SO cold... somewhere in the mid 60's in my home!  I just couldn't take it anymore.  So, today, October 8th, 2009, I had to turn the thermostat to heat.  The heat is on people.


Here comes one of the seemingly endless contradictions my personality has to offer:  As much as I love and adore fall... I despise winter.  I don't like the cold.  I don't like leaf-less naked trees.  I don't like snow (yes, I know some people are gasping and/or feeling sorry for me). I'm not that crazy about Christmas or New Year's Eve (more gasps).  I kind of like coats because there are some very cute ones out there (silver lining? lemonade out of lemons?) but I find them restricive and very uncomfortable if worn for more than 5 minutes.  It's like clostrophobia for my arms!  I really don't even like thinking about it but how can I keep from it when I had a freezing house waking me up, screaming, "It's only going to get colder!"


So, for now, I will soak up the joys of fall while I still can... and I'm going to try try again to find things about winter that can help me make it through until spring!


Until then... I'll drown my sorrows in a steaming cup of apple cider :)

Newlywedology 101 - A Beginner's Course

Welp, it's almost been a year... one whole year... 365 days... 525,600 minutes of marriage for Dustin and me... the Hammocks :)

Can you believe it? Time flies when you are having fun, Time is of the essence, Time in a bottle, Time waits for no man... Okay, I'm running out of time sayings.

I went to dinner with some good friends not too long ago and they asked me, "Everyone says the first year of marriage is the hardest... has it been for you?" It was the easiest and hardest question for me to answer. My first comic strip thought bubble to pop up was simply, no... this was followed by a number of popping thought bubbles which meant I was trying to find a suitable explanation.

It felt too simple and obvious! For me, this didn't feel like a hard year, and from what my amateur fortune telling skills (palm readings $5!) tell me, it probably won't be the hardest. The reason this question was hard was because I had a hard time pin-pointing an exact reason why my answer could so easily be no! I answered by saying no, but following with, I can see how it could be for some couples. It's a BIG, HUGE, MONSTER of a life-change for any and everyone taking the plunge, tying the knot, or jumping the broom! For us, we just knew we were ready for that change/plunge/knot/jump and whatever MONSTER challenges it packed up to move into our 3bdrm starter home with us from day 1 to 365... and all the days and living spaces to follow.

By answering no to that question, I, Mrs. Hammock, do solemnly swear that I do not, hereby, think we have "the perfect relationship" because I really don't... and I know there is no such thing! Sorry for going all Judge Judy, but I do not want anyone to misconstrue my answer as me putting us up on some pedestal. We have definitely had arguments/disagreements, bad days, bad moods, times where we said things that we didn't mean, etc. By no means did these things send the whole year cycloning down the drain and these are minimal moments compared to the blessings and fun we have had.

We couldn't have asked for a better first year Whether you are a newlywed or have been married for a few years or decades I'm sure the first year is something that will not be forgotten. Whether it was the hardest or the easiest it's something that is irreplacable. For anyone getting married this year be ready for anything, be ready to tackle everything, and pray first, think later!