I was so BLESSED in 2010!

Tonight is the last night of one of the best years in my life, thus far. 2010 held so many great accomplishments, memories, and special events that will change so many things in my future. Although I am super excited about the new year and all that will come with it, I almost hate to see such a good year end. I was so trully blessed in so many ways throughout this past year. Here is an extremely short recap: I was able to complete all of my prerequisits for grad school (and not go into anymore debt), Terry and I bought our first home, then we bought our first new car, then we got ENGAGED!!! I had a job and an income (not a good one but more than some) and Terry was blessed to keep the job that he loves. We are healthy and very happy, and so are our dogs. I've made new friends, kept in touch with old ones, and learned to give a little more of myself and my time to all of them. Terry and I have traveled, camped, canoed, and vacationed in new places including New York City! We've spent time with our families and watched it expand (our beautiful Goddaughter Samantha was born and we've just found out that she will be a big sister in 2011) and worked on creating and bettering our own. We have been able to add things to our home (a fence, deck, shed, etc) to make ourselves and our dogs more comfortable, which is something that we weren't sure would all get done this year. We have been so lucky and we are so grateful. We've cherished our time and experiences that this year has provided us with and we are excited to do the same throughout 2011!



Thank you God for blessing us with such a full life.

I'll miss you 2010! You were great to me!

My first time to be a Christmas Hostess!

My mom and dad and Terry's mom waiting on Christmas dinner!

The first Christmas dinner that I've ever cooked!

I've always loved family gatherings and all of the food, gossip, and memories that come with them. I look forward to holidays and birthdays and any other day that gives me an excuse to have company over or go to visit my family. So this year, since Terry had to work on Christmas day, it is our first Christmas in our new house, and we are FINALLY engaged, I decided that with so many things to celebrate I would host a big Christmas dinner a couple of days early for both of our families at our house. I was super excited but also had no clue where to begin the preparations! We got a really late start and were rushed to get everything cleaned and cooked, but I am so proud to say that everything turned out just fine! We all ate well, had great conversation, received unexpected and much appreciated gifts, and our families got to know each other a little bit better. It was an overall success and I can't wait to do it again next year!

However, I did learn a couple of lessons throughout the whole thing:

#1- I never knew how hard my granny worked to make those years of family gatherings happen!

#2- Prepare the food more than one hour before you are expecting your company!

#3- Without a great partner and helper (like Terry) you will probably be S.O.L.

Big News!!!

After a failed promise that I would update my posts more often, it is now time for another catch up session! First, let me say that the whole flirt with veganism thing was extremely successful for a whole month! Yes, one single month! I really felt great and could really feel the benefits of doing away with animal products. However, it also made me realize my true love for cheese and chicken! I just couldn't go on without it in my life! So, I learned some valuable lessons about food, expanded my food horizon, and moved on.

Next, for the big news... Terry finally proposed!!! On November 3, 2010, at 8:31 PM, Terry finally made the big move! I came home from work, after a horrible day, to a house filled with yellow roses, rose petals, candles, and champagne! I thought that he was just trying to make my day end better than it started by being sweet, but when I demanded that he open the champagne (I don't know how) he said, "hold on, I have one more thing for you" and of course I was NOT EVEN thinking of a ring. All signs pointed to it but I was oblivious! So even when he pulled out the most perfect little gold box with the most perfect little white bow on top, I had no clue. My brain was just static. Then, he opened the box to show the actual ring box! I bursted into tears and cried for approximately fifteen minutes, screaming "YES!" somewhere between the sobs! The ring is beautiful, of course, and I am looking forward to our life to come! We will be getting married on November 3, 2012! Exactly two years from the day he proposed! I'm officially the future Mrs. Terry Boyd!