Wordless Wednesday {Thanksgiving Recap}

Yeah, I know it's already been a week ago, but I just haven't gotten around to it. That was my Thanksgiving meal. And it was amazing. And filling. And worth every calorie.

{more pics from last weekend soon!}

All I Want for Christmas

In honor of Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday, I thought I'd put together my Christmas Wish List. Some things that made the list are practical, while others are more lofty wishes...

{in no particular order, and not limited to...}

The new Michael Buble Christmas CD

Michael Kors Watch 

J. Crew Herringbone Jacket

A Spa Manicure with Shellac polish so it lasts a long time!

Photoshop Elements so I can play with my photos a little more

This dress from Athleta...or really anything else from that store...I could live in those clothes

A massage...boy oh boy, do my shoulders need it

Stuff for our house...shelves, custom framing, pictures, painting, TIME to do everything...

the list goes on and on...

A weekend in Chicago with my hubby...oh wait, that is our Christmas present to each other :)

If any of you ventured out into the wild malls yesterday {or are planning to this weekend}, GOOD LUCK and hope you found {or find!} some great deals!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011 has definitely had it's ups and downs, especially in the last month or so, but I still have A TON to be thankful for. Here are a few that come to mind....

....my Faith. It's easy to forget that we aren't in control {and I'm a little bit of a control freak}, and I am thankful for my faith in God that helps me remember this fact.

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

....my marriage. TJ and I have had a lot of stresses in our two and a half years of marriage, but we have been able to overcome them and stick by each other's side. We support each other, and it's comforting to know that he has my back {and I have his} when the times get tough. I'm also very thankful for his sense of humor that can always bring a smile to my face...even if they are really corny jokes. :)

....my family. I come from a pretty close-knit family, and I'm very grateful for the fact that TJ and I live a mere 15 minutes from my parents. Some people don't want to live that close to their parents, but I love it. If only my brother lived a little closer than a 2 hour flight {he's in Philly}, but I'm glad he lives in a fun city to visit. We're also very lucky that TJ's aunt, as well as his sister and her husband live close by so we get together fairly often. We'd love it if TJ's mom and grandma lived closer though too! {they're a little less than 2 hours away}

me and my brother, Joe, a couple years ago in Florida

My mom and dad celebrating my dad's retirement earlier this year

TJ's sister, Tiff, and her husband, Matt at a concert this summer

TJ's mom, Sharon

TJ's aunt, Ann, and my mom {and Tiff in the background}

....my friends. I have awesome friends. I am still very close with a lot of my high school friends, and I'm very thankful that we got to spend a lot of time together last month even though it wasn't the best of circumstances. I'm also still very close with my college roommates - Amy, Alex, and Robyn - and I'm so blessed with the love and support they've shown me over the years. I love ALL you girls.

my high school girlies

....my health. I may deal with some pretty awful migraines {and they're a major pain}, but I know that's no where near what some people have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm thankful that I'm able to run, and very thankful that I've been able to enjoy this running journey with my dad. It's been great.

me and my dad after our first half marathon in May 2011

....my career. I have been blessed with the intelligence, dedication, and support from family and friends to follow my dreams and become a physician. It certainly hasn't been an easy road, but I did it. Now, as I finish my Family Medicine Residency {in June 2012}, I've realized my true passion within medicine. I am beyond excited to have the possible opportunity to be a sports medicine physician. I love it.

me and TJ at my medical school graduation, May 2009

I hope you all take a moment today to realize the many blessings in your life. God is good!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm loving that the new Muppets movie came out today. My brother and I were huge fans growing up, and we still enjoy watching the Muppet Christmas Carol every year. We're planning a family movie night on Saturday to go relive some of our childhood. I can't wait.

I'm also loving that I get to start tomorrow with a little 4.5 mile run with over 15,000 other people. My dad and I ran the Drumstick Dash last year and had a great time...so much so that we're making it one of our Thanksgiving day traditions! {and my family loves tradition!} Getting a good run in also makes me feel a little less guilty for all the calories I'll take in later tomorrow afternoon and evening...

Me and my dad at last year's race

And now for the obvious...I'm loving that Thanksgiving is here. I have 4 days off from work, my mom and I baked 2 pumpkin and 2 pecan pies this afternoon, and I get to spend time over the next couple days with both my side of the family and with TJ's. I love my family and truly enjoy our huge family gatherings. {I have 21 cousins on just my mom's side!} There's never a dull moment!

My mom as we were finishing up the pies

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Tasty Tuesday {Thanksgiving Edition!!!}

I can't wait for Thanksgiving. Mainly because I love my family, and I love spending time with them. I also love this particular holiday because it's a great excuse to eat. Especially carbs. My Thanksgiving dinner plate consists of maybe 15 percent meat, 30 percent veggies, and the rest carbs. Not to mention the fact that I usually go back for seconds on the carbs.

There's one food in particular that says Thanksgiving to me. They're called spaetzles. They're German noodles that we make from scratch, and usually only once or twice a year {Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas}, so I have to get my fill when this time of year rolls around.

Spaetzles don't have many ingredients, but I can't say that they're easy to make...

A little flour...

A couple eggs...

Some water and salt...

A spaetzle maker...

and A LOT of muscle.....

And you've got spaetzles!!!

Yum!!!

They may not be the prettiest food, but they taste pretty darn good. I could seriously eat just these at Thanksgiving and still be a happy girl. Add some gravy, turkey, and stuffing, and I'm sure you would like them too!


What's your favorite Thanksgiving food that you look forward to all year?

Weekend Recap

In the season of gratitude, I am very thankful to have some wonderful friends that don't live too far away. This past weekend, I ventured a few hours south to visit one of my college friends {and roommate junior and senior year} in Kentucky. I was sad that our other two former roommates couldn't join us, but we definitely had a good time. We didn't have big plans or anything, but enjoyed dinner, drinks, an afternoon run, movies, and quality time catching up with one another.

{Just ignore the green hue of the above pictures...I figured out that it's from my cute green iPhone case... :-/ }

Me & Alex

And so begins the mini photo shoot...I was cracking up so hard by the end...

Yeah...we may or may not have had a few drinks in us...

Breakfast of Champions the next morning...coffee, oat bagel with pumpkin cream cheese...YUM.

Her doggies REALLY wanted some pumpkin cream cheese too! {I don't blame them!}

Ted's sweet angel face :)

Frank needed a bath

Hard to get mad at this face

Ted didn't want me to leave

Thanks again, Alex, for a great weekend! Can't wait for the next one!