2012 Recap

I'm starting to read blog posts about wrapping up 2012 and reflecting on the year, and I'm thinking, "Wait, what??"  We've had such a sweet holiday season that I guess I'm just not quite ready for it to end.  I was trying to determine if it was a "good" year or not, and I believe it definitely has been.  It's a little difficult to top 2011, with an engagement and a wedding, but it's been a good one, for sure. 

This recap is just for us to remember 2012, so feel free to skip or skim--I realize it's quite long!

Here are some of our favorite highlights:

Events planned:

1. Adam's birthday festivities
2. SMoo's 25th Birthday weekend
3. Guatemala Benefit Concert (at Mom & Dad's house)
4. Shauna Saturday (w/ Anna, Mom and Laura)
5. Mom's birthday party
6. March for Babies*
7. Signature Chefs*
8. Breakfast with a Champion (much easier a second time around!)*

*work events
 
Friends and family who visited our home:

1. Dave P., AMP's buddy from Iowa
2. David (AMP's bro) from Iowa (and the great stomach bug of 2012)
3. Mary Ellen, before her half marathon race
4. Patriot Cash, our dog-swap buddy 
5. Mike and Norene (June and again in December, with the dogs!)
6. Papa & Jonita for Father's Day lunch w/ the Paulsons, and my multiple kitchen goof ups
7. Joey and Amanda (with the dogs), and occasionally just Amanda!
8. SMoo, Claire and Lyndsy all over at various times for girl's night sleepovers
9. Mom & Dad for dinner at Halloween
10. Progressive Dinner w/ the Cashes and Phillips
11. Guatemala Friends Dinner

Trips and Adventures:

1. January: Mendocino County, California
2. February: Adam's ski trip to Colorado, Shay in Waco to see Anna' perform in Sing
3. March: Staycation at the Adolphus (6 month anniversary)
4. May: Boston for Troy's Graduation and our trip up to Maine
5. June: Shay's trip to Houston to surprise Amanda
6. July: Guatemala Mission Trip, Boathouse weekend and the BSB weekend
7. August: Trip to Iowa (with Rye)
8. September: Anniversary trip to Disney Land and Twain Hart, CA
9. November: Adam's first Baylor Homecoming and our first Dixon Thanksgiving spent at the Lake

Fun Dates:

1. Nick & Sam's Grill--V-day, Six Month & One year anniversaries
2. Jump Street
3. Arboretum
4. State Fair & Addam's Family Musical with the Cashes
5. Shay's b-day dinner at Kenny's Woodfire Gril
6. Lakehouse getaway, just the 2 of us!
7. Pumpkin Carving Double-Date w/ Bryan & Claire

Projects we accomplished:

1. Washer Stand
2. Picnic Table
3. Chalkboard wall
4. Pallet Art
5. Light in the bathroom
6. Ottoman Slip Cover
7. Map Wall Art
8. Drop Cloth Curtains
9. Rewiring the garage lighting
10. Guatemala Fundraising...40 lasagnas and lots of babysitting jobs later
11. The Pocket Buzz Blog
12. Whole 30 eating

Major Decisions we made:

1. Adopting Rye
2. Going back to school
3. Changing Fire Stations (a great thing!)
4. Selling the 4Runner & buying Etta the Jetta
5. Going to Guatemala on our mission trip
6. Getting rid of cable (surprisingly, not bad!)
7. Buckling down on our budget to save for school

Traditions we started:

1. Snug time w/ Rye Dog after work
2. A picnic and Sprinkles Cupcakes on our engagement anniversary
3. Wearing my wedding shoes on our anniversary
4. Buying Lotto tickets...just occasionally!
5. Weekly Meal Planning

New (to us) Restaurants we like:

1. Keller's Burgers
2. Penne Pomodoro
3. Taverna 
4. Kenny's Woodfire Grill
5. Smoke
6. Whiskey Cake

Celebrating highs and lows with dear friends:

1. Smoo's Dad is battling prostate cancer, but it has been a joy to walk this road with her, see him respond positively to treatment, and rejoice in another year of full life for Bobby.
2. Joey got a job in Houston, so that meant he and Amanda moved further away, instead of closer, like we'd hoped.  Our friendship isn't defined by miles, though, and we've made the best of it!
3. Claire fell in love and got engaged!  Pure sweetness!  So excited.  Can't wait for June 2013.
4. I finally got to meet one of AMP's really great friends, his roommate while in college.  Dave was driving through Texas several times in the spring, and we enjoyed seeing him multiple times during those months!  And this summer, I finally got to meet his wife Elizabeth, and their little boy.  I love getting to be around people who are important to Adam, so this was a definite highlight.
5. One of my favorite things has been "Brunette Dinners," where I get together with SMoo, Lyndsy and Claire about once a month for dinner.  We catch up and hang out, and just get to "be."  Next year, we are going to start rotating dinners at our own places, so that will be a fun new thing.  I'm so grateful for their friendship!  Before we get up from the table, we whip out our phones and put the next dinner on our calendars.  Usually, it's about a month out, but we just do what we gotta do!

 Specific Things to Remember:

1. We learned our lesson the hard way that it's best just to tell your realty company when you get a dog.  Probably the less-expensive route.  :-) 
2. I won my first ever blog giveaway, a pre-released copy of Shauna Niequist's newest book, Bread & Wine.  A total highlight!
3. We grew roots in our church, by going to the Newlywed class, singing on the praise team, going to Guatemala with 90 people we didn't know, and joining a weekly Bible study in the Fall.  And my favorite, we made church friends!!  Hooray.
4. Adam has gone back to school, and made A's in his classes.  This is no small feat, considering it's Organic Chemistry and Anatomy & Physiology.  I am so proud of him.

Wrapping it up:
As I reflect on this list, it's becoming clear that we spend a lot of time hosting events, hanging with friends and family, working on house projects and traveling together.  It has been a year of growth, a year of laughter and fun things together, and a year of loving on each others people.  I love that.

Our other biggest joy was, without a doubt, the process of going to Guatemala together, working toward our goal, and finally getting to see what the trip was all about.  We have a heart for the kids there, for their education to continue and for their hearts to be softened toward the things of God.  Not only did we get to serve together, we made "couple friends" together, and they are so much fun to be with!

I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us.  Besides five weddings in January through June, we'll apply to PA schools in June, find out in the Fall and see where that leads.  Ready or not, here we come!  

{2011 Review}

Christmas Celebrations {Adam's Family}

Mike and Norene arrived in Dallas after a long day in the car with their two dogs on the day after Christmas, and we were so glad to see them!  The girls (the dogs) were ever so glad to get out of the car!

We had pork tenderloin waiting for them in the crockpot and had a great dinner.  Adam and I were planning on waiting to open gifts the next night, but Mike was so excited for us to open our gifts that we happily gave in!  :-)  

The weekend looked like this:

Happy, full of dogs, and Mike & Norene trying to corral them in some form or fashion.  I think they thought the dogs bothered us a whole lot more than they actually did!  Rye was just disappointed that they weren't too interested in playing!

Rye says, "Sadie, are you suuuure you don't want to play?  Pretty please?"

Much to Mike & Norene's dismay, Shelby made herself quite at home.  

I don't blame her...it's a comfy spot!

We all took turns opening gifts and really just enjoyed hanging out together.

My favorite gift was a new 50 mm lens for my nice camera.  I'd forgotten it was even on my list, so it was quite a nice surprise.  And David recently discovered the store Express, and gave me a gift card there, which I've promptly spent on some warm sweaters!  Love that.

Mike's gift hadn't come in the mail yet (11 days after I ordered it, it finally arrived!), so I sent him on a little scavenger hunt around the room, where he had to put on a Santa hat and find my computer, where an image of his Android Tablet was open on my screen.  Adam thought it was quite funny that I made him go through all of that, but I know Mike just wants to have a little fun, too, now and then!

David, Mike and Norene surprised us very much with all these things for Adam's truck!  We missed David a lot, but he sent down hand-painted handles for the truck, a new bowtie (the Chevy symbol) and a bumper, all painted to match his truck.  It's definitely a perk knowing someone in the car painting business!  Mike and Adam installed most of those things later in the week, and I must say...Adam's truck is looking s-h-a-r-p!

We so enjoyed having all of them (yes even the dogs) down for a good visit.  We spent a lot of time hanging out, talking, laughing, and eating.   Mike isn't one to sit still, so I had a long list of things that we just didn't have a chance to get to this semester, and he whipped right through all of them by the time they left. 

Norene and I cooked, chatted quite a bit and ventured out to Half Price Books one afternoon, where she scored big for her classroom library.  

We're so glad they made the trip down to see us--the only thing that would've been better was to have David with them too!

{Our Little} Christmas Celebration

After the movie, Adam and I packed up and headed back to our house.  I didn't feel like driving back in the ice/sleet/snow mess, so Adam sweetly offered to just come back with me the next day to get my car.  I'm so glad--I just really wanted to be together!

We came home and got our stockings ready for each other.  I forgot that Paulsons wrap everything in the stockings, and Dixons don't, so he wrapped all my little stuff inside my stocking and I didn't wrap anything in his!  #familytraditions

Adam said all he really wanted to do was sit by the light of the Christmas Tree, so after we opened our gifts from each other (I got perfume from my wishlist, M&Ms, candles and a few other sweet and thoughtful gifts, and he got a new hair cutting kit and a few other very practical things!), we sat snuggled up under the quilt his grandmother made.  I learned that he and his brother used to sleep by the tree on Christmas Eve when he was little, so I thought it was sweet to get to do that together!

December 26th, Mike and Norene were driving down with the two dogs, so we spent the day getting situated and ready for their arrival!  Here is our front room decorated for Christmas with the afternoon light cominng in.  You can see that Rye got a stocking, too (topped with brown fur, naturally).  

Christmas Celebrations {Shay's Side}

Troy and Sarah came into Dallas almost a week before Christmas, and we all enjoyed hanging out together.  Wednesday night, we went to the Chihuly Exhibit at the Arboretum.  The lighted hand-blown glass was pretty spectacular to see, and the balmy 70 degree weather was pretty great too!

{Chihuly Exhibit}

Later that week, Christmas Eve tradition continued as we celebrated with Papa, Jonita (after she celebrated w/ her kids and grandkids), and the Flaggs.  Instead of going to a Christmas Eve service, we opted to do our own little thing, so Anna read a little something from Jesus Calling, Troy and I sang three songs with everyone, and Papa read the Christmas Story from the book of Luke.  I have to say that I'm a fan of this little family thing, instead of all cramming into the pews.  :-)

Original 4 Dixons

(Adam worked Christmas Eve, so that's why he's not in any of these photos!)

Flaggs

Four Cousins

Christmas Morning came, and Adam arrived at my parents' house about 9 a.m., fully expecting to be all hanging out and opening gifts together.  Well, that didn't happen!  Things were pretty quiet, so Adam came upstairs and we crawled back in bed after feeding Rye and slept until noon.  Yes, noon.  Troy ended up having a fever and the flu, so that's why he slept so much.  I have no excuse.  Ha.  

Rye wanted to know what the heck Bella was wearing.  She doesn't have much fur or body fat, so she needs an extra layer now and then.  Pretty cute!

We took turns opening gifts, youngest to oldest (per usual), and the last gift was one Mom gave to Dad.  As you can see, he was extremely surprised and pretty stoked about his new watch!

Dad and I did our Christmas Morning tradition and cooked breakfast together--one of my favorite things.  We ate about 1 p.m.  Ha.

Stocking were hung back up and a fire was roaring, just as snow began to fall--a White Christmas, after all!

AMP decided his truck looked pretty good with snow on it.  I have to agree.  :-)

This was Rye's first snow with us!  It didn't seem to phase him too much at all.

After three years, we actually got to spend Christmas Day together.  And it snowed!  In Dallas!  

Love that.

All of us except sicky Troy went to see Les Miserables in the theater that afternoon.  It was fabulous, and I finally understood some of the parts that were a little fuzzy for me.  The funniest part, though, was about three minutes into the movie and Adam looks over at me and says, "Wait, are they going to sing the entire movie?"  Yes, yes they are...

Stay tuned for more Christmas!

Mom's Birthday Celebration!

Friday, December 21 was mom's real birthday, and it was one that ended in a 5, so I thought we needed something a little more special.  :-)  (Birthdays ending in 5s and 0s are always big ones, in my book!)

We ate with the whole fam at a little local Italian restaurant, and then headed back to our house for a dessert party with a lot of her nearest and dearest.  It was such a fun evening, and she's still talking about it a week later, so I think it was a hit!

 

My good friend Sarah, who spent a year in London at cooking school, came over to help me bring to life a cake I'd seen on Pinterest.  We spent the whole day baking in my kitchen, and had a blast hanging out.  There's a lot of "sit around and wait time" when it comes to baking, so it was the perfect activity for catching up.  I so enjoyed her company and her help, because we all know that I'd have a different outcome than this beautiful creation!

There was powdered sugar all over the floor when she left, which is just a sign of a good dessert, in my book!  Aunt Laura offered to come help me set up a bit before dinner, and she was just the biggest help.  Not many aunts will come over and vaccum and swiffer your floors!  We had fun planning this little party together, for sure.  She brought mom's other favorite dessert, Boston Cream Pie, and everyone wanted a "sampler" platter.  :-)

Four layers of lemon cake with butter cream frosting--yes, please!

{The Dessert Table}

I busted out my china to serve on, since I hadn't used it all year.  This was reason to celebrate!

The other fun thing we did was have a photo booth.  Sarah and I copied some designs from (yes, you guessed it!) Pinterest , and attached them to little sticks.  I figured everyone would have some fun playing with these.  I think it was a hit!

 {Mom & Dad}

  

{Mark & Laura}

 

{Troy & Sarah}

  

{Vicki & Laura}

Vicki thought this was a costume party, so she came dressed as a strawberry.  Really.

 

{Vicki, Sheri & Laura}

Friends since junior high!

I sure hope we look as good as they do 30 years from now!

 

Tom & Susan, or Mr. and Mrs. Baylor

  

Mom directing "Happy Birthday," which had to be one of the prettiest versions ever sung because of all the musical people and harmony we had in the room!

 

 

Birthday girl with her cake and pie

 

 I think I've mentioned 2 or 20 times that this is not my favorite room in the house, but everyone seems to gravitate here towards the sectional.  Once they realized it was my least favorite, they proceeded to cram as many people on it as possible!  Too funny.

And yes, that's an exercise ball.   I got lessons from Sue the P.E. coach on how to properly use it.  :-)  It also works very nicely as a foot rest, as you can see.

 

Troy LOVES to play 42 now, so Gerald went back home to get the dominoes.  Sarah was learning with Troy.  

What a fun evening celebrating Mom!  Happy Birthday, you are so loved!

{December} Life Lately

Oh hi, it's me again, just realizing I haven't posted much on our life lately.  Actually, I've been posting quite a bit over at The Pocket Buzz, but just not over here.  So if you've missed those posts, I'll try and do a little recap!  {I updated our blog look, so if you're reading this via email, click over to see!}

 

December 1, my girl-family-people hosted author/blogger/speaker Shauna Niequest at Anna's apartment for a fun Saturday morning.  Anna had this vision of a cozy morning talking about Shauna's books and about life and friendship--all things that Shauna is very good at talking about.  She was in town for a couple of other speaking engagments, so Anna emailed her assistant to see if we could snag some time with her.  We had about 15 girls there for coffee, breakfast bites and a great morning of conversation. 

 

Shauna has been such an inspiration to me and to Anna, and we were just about beside ourselves to get to have this time with her.  I blogged more about our time at the PB.

The four of us made a great team, and it was a happy morning!

 

 




We decided to have a date night watching the original Dr. Seuss version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, while sitting on the fold-out bed, Christmas Tree lit and Grinchy Drinks. {Lime Sherbet with 7up poured over it in our new BU mugs.  Delish.}

Fun fact:  Did you know that the cartoon version is only about 30 minutes long?  We were shocked.  It took us a while to realize that when we were little and watched it on TV as kids, they had commercials to space it out and make it last an hour!

Many afternoons after work or on the weekends, it seems we gravitate toward "family snug time," with Rye up on his purple couch...practically in our laps.  We tried to get a family photo, and Rye ended up being mesmerized by his face, and ours, on the screen trying to take the last photos.  It was really hilarious.
 

After watching a documentary at the Fire Station on the benefits of juicing fruits and veggies to get the most nutrients, Adam was inspired to eat healthier.  We didn't go as far as juicing, but we started to eat whole foods, instead of processed ones, and model our eating habits after the Whole 30 program.  We committed to 21 days instead of 30, so that it wouldn't run into Christmas. 

Never having been to Central Market, Adam was astounded by their incredibly beautiful fruit selection.  I must say, that Albertson's fruit pales in comparision to this stuff, and it's way more delicious to eat! 

Adam's done really well at sticking to the plan.  He had to add back in some carbs after he went to fight a fire. The no-carb thing wasn't really working for his lifestyle, and understandably so.  But, we've added whole wheat bread and sugar-free jelly back in, along with whole-grain cereals as well.  Basically, it's all about moderation.  He will tell you that he was addicted to sugar {stopping by our pantry for a handfull of plain brown sugar}, but it's so much better now.  I'm so proud of how disciplined he is!

There are several Whole30 recipe sites that we've referenced for dinner, and we've tried so many new things--pumpkin seeds, Spaghetti Squash, Pomegranates and more.  I haven't been as dedicated, but am still making healtheir choices in snacks {apples and peanut butter} and just in general, but I've still got to have my daily dose of Dr Pepper! {I know.  I don't want to talk about my addiction.}
 

We mailed our Christmas Cards last week, and I also made this one on my phone and posted it on Facebook.  So either by mail or by Facebook, hopefully you know we wish you a Merry Christmas!













 
In keeping with Paulson tradition, Adam gets a train ornament every year, and I've loved getting in on the action now, too.  Even though we'll see the family around Christmas, it was fun to get our ornaments early and hang them on our trees!  {PS: Isn't the wrapping job pretty?  Mike and Norene are the best at wrapping gifts!}












 

Sunday night, I joined Mom and Papa to hear the Park Cities choir sing at their Christmas Program.  It was spectacular and brought back so many happy childhood memories.  I blogged a little more about the experience over at the PB.











I have 5 more days of work before the end of the year.  And judging by the way I can't keep my calendar straight and have messed up numerous times lately, I think I will definitely enjoy the mental break!  We are looking forward to celebrating with family and friends in the next half of December.

Happy 12-12-12 to you!

Thanksgiving & Birthday {Or: How we ate and celebrated all week}

The week of Thanksgiving, I had some extra time off, so I had nine glorious days in a row to spend as I pleased.  It was amazing. 

I have no photos of this part, but Saturday morning through Monday morning, I was in Houston for Mary Ellen's bridal shower and also to visit Amanda.  We talked so much that I went to bed both nights with a sore throat and a smile on my face. 

Monday night, we had our Dallas "Brunette" dinner to celebrate my birthday, and Sarah happened to be in town from Georgia and was able to join us.  The girls treated me to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and showered me with the most thoughtful gifts.  I have such dear friends!

{The Brunettes: Lyndsy, SMoo, Me and Claire, along with Savannah Sarah}

I would also highly recommend their Blueberry Cheesecake.  To.Die.For.

Tuesday was spent organizing the house, doing laundry, grocery shopping and making dinner.  These are all things I usually can't do in one day, so I was quite proud of myself.  That's what happens when you have more brain space...you get so much more accomplished!

I didn't intend to grab a screen shot of Instagram, but it's what I got, so I'm just going with it.  It's just as well, though, because I feel like Instagram got used more over the holiday by friends and family than I've ever seen it before!  I post very exciting things, like our utensil drawer, of course.  Here's the before and after the organization.  I just wonder why I didn't do this a year ago when we moved into our house.  I was quite proud of myself!  And really grateful for Bed, Bath and Beyond gift cards still left from our wedding--hooray!

Wednesday, Adam worked, so Troy and I rode out to the lakehouse together with Rye Dog.  I love spending time with T-Roy and getting him all to myself.  Rye made it quite clear that he was not going to let me go anywhere without him.  He knows that suitcases mean an upheaval in his routine, and he is not a fan!

The lake was so relaxing.  We enjoyed spending Thanksgiving there with Papa, the 3 Dixons and 2 Paulsons (plus Bella and Rye).  Jonita was spending time with her brothers in Georgia, and the Flaggs were in Cancun for a family-of-four vacation, so it was a small group this year.  We had so much fun hanging out together.

 

 Everybody loved on RyeDog (that's his blurry face in the photo), which just warmed my heart!  Rye's a larger dog than my family's used to, so I think it just took a while to adjust.  He and Bella finally got along swimmingly.

 

There were many games of 42 played, along with Gin Rummy.  I happily watched, addressed our Christmas Cards and worked on my felt and wooden nativity for Christmas.  Everyone got to do their own thing.  Loved it.

I caught Mom and Troy catching up out on the deck.  I just love this photo.

 

I also spied them working on Christmas gifts, making plane reservations to come home at Christmas and make plans for Troy to come home in January for good (!) to pursue his music career here in Texas.  We are so excited to have him back!

Adam came in on Thursday morning and greeted me with several stories of working the night before.  Surprisingly, there had been TWO fires the night before.  TWO.  That never happens.  No one was hurt, and the firefighters actually got to fight some fire.  He was pumped.

Dad planned on making us a breakfast while we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but much to our surprise, the gas to the house was out on the stovetop burners and also the outdoor grill.  You know it's a small town and family-owned when a company takes your call on Thanksgiving Day and promises to be out in an hour and a half.  We were so grateful and rather shocked that they came to fill up the gas tanks for us.  (They only have to be filled about every five years, so it was just our luck to have it run out that day!)

 

 We had the Poole Gas Company to be thankful for on Turkey Day, for certain!  The man couldn't have been nicer.  This was especially appreciated because Dad was grilling steaks for our Thanksgiving meal.  We were going to have to think of Plan B if they hadn't been able to fix it!

Thursday night, we celebrated my birthday a bit early, since the fam was (mostly) together.  I'm in to celebrating all week long!  I requested chili for supper, and it was delicious.

 

I told Papa this already, but it was so much fun hanging out with him and not being confined to a lunch hour or an evening dinner.  We spent a lot of time together, and I'm so grateful!  I just love him to pieces!

 

{Cookie Cake!}

AMP and I headed back home on Friday for our Birthday date to Kenny's Woodfire Grill.  Seriously, it was so delicious.  Adam ordered a tenderloin meatloaf, and I got the Steak & Cake (steak w/ a crab cake).  Oh.my.word.  We very much enjoyed it!

 

Celebrating the 2-6!

Saturday, AMP went off to work, and I met Mom, Laura and Anna for pedicures.  It was a fun girls' day!

And to top it all off, the Bears beat the Red Raiders in Over Time, and RGIII was there on the sidelines to cheer his team on.  It was a stressful game to watch, but a good one, and I got my birthday wish! I will never forget Dad cheering at the TV for the Bears to win. He believed in them the whole time. Not one to be very vocal (that's usually my uncle Mark!), we were enjoying his positive commentary and I'm convinced the Bears won partially because of Dad's cheering!

We ended the night at Uncle Julio's for dinner, and Rye and I had a slumber party at my parents' house.  What a week of celebrating!  We have so much to be grateful for.