It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

I LOVE decorating for Christmas! I have pictures of most of my decorations, hope you enjoy!

I got this tree this year for all of my Hallmark ornaments. It is an alpine pine and I love that it doesn't look fancy!
Up close of the tree. I love the star garland.
Present candle sticks that were wedding gifts.

I got the beginning of the Willow Tree nativity as a wedding gift as well. Need to get the rest soon!
Up close of my main tree in our living room.
Love the detail of the ornaments.
Even have red/gold packages!
The finished product! I worked so hard on this tree, I just love it!! Too bad it can't stay up year round!

Now time for Jeremy and I to cuddle up and watch Christmas vacation, my favorite :)

Just Romeo and I

As it's getting close to Thanksgiving I realize I have MANY things to be thankful for. I feel so blessed with a great life. My husband has been saying for months that the month of November will be crazy busy for him. That was an understatement. I have only seen him for about 30 minutes to an hour every day for the past week. Like I said, I am more than thankful that he has a great job, and he will finish his MBA next week. But, he has been working soooo much lately, and Romeo and I miss him sooo much!

At first him being gone was okay, I put out my Christmas decorations, shopped, cleaned, did laundry, and watched lots of television. Well, for the past 3 days I have just been plain bored! I know it's selfish because he is working his tail off, but by golly I miss having him around. So does Romeo, he sits at the top of the stairs and just waits on Jeremy to come home at his normal time. Hopefully by Thanksgiving his work will slow down and we can enjoy a LONG weekend together. I'm sure looking forward to it!

Tonight I did get a surprise visit from my parents! My grandpa had an outpatient procedure done and forgot his wallet at the hospital. So, I got to go the hospital and retrieve his wallet, then my parents came up to my house to get it.

After that, I decided to take some pictures of Romeo in front of the Christmas tree. He was sooo good. He sat in a chair in front of the chair for at least 15 minutes without jumping down. He definitely got a treat for that :)

I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the week. Tomorrow night I'm going to my in-laws house to see them and my sister-in-law and sweet little niece! We are going to attempt to make hair bows for Gracie. I watched a few You-tube videos on it tonight, and I think its possible. Then this weekend I am going to my parents and we are hosting a wedding shower for a close family friend. It's going to be a fun weekend!

Fun Weekend

This weekend Jeremy and I headed down to my parents. Friday night my Mom made chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, etc. and it was amazing! One of my favorite meals! On Saturday went to Memphis to the Dog Races. Mom and Dad had been before, but Laura, Jeremy, and I hadn't. It was so fun to get excited about our bets! The first time I only won 20 cents, but I got super excited! After the races we went to dinner at Texas de Brazil, it was awesome! Once again, Mom and Dad had been, but the rest of us had not. I love food, so this was definitely a treat! Today we went to church, lunch at one my favorite local BBQ joints, then decorated a Christmas wreath for my sister's apartment before heading back home. It was such a fun weekend, I love going places with my family :)
Visiting with Mom's kindergarten class on Friday afternoon. They love making silly faces!

Photo shoot before heading to Memphis.
Laura and Romeo

My wonderful parents :)

Laura posing with the wreath we decorated! Can't wait to help her decorate her tree!

Happy Halloween!

Tonight we invited over Jeremy's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and our newest addition, our niece Gracie. Gracie was born on October 11th, so she was a little young for trick-or-treating :) I made taco soup for dinner and we all sat out in the front yard and passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. We went through many bags of candy in less than 2 hours. I would guess we had around 200 or so little ones. We eventually had to go inside when we ran out! It was so much fun getting to see all the costumes.

The treats for our visitors

My cupcakes, I was impressed with my icing abilities!

Me and the sweet little pumpkin princess, Gracie :)

The aftermath of trick-or-treating! These are only some of the empty bags.

Trick-or-treating wore Romeo out!

50 Free Cards From Shutterfly!

Shutterfly currently has a promotion that allows you to get 50 free cards if you promote them on your blog! What a deal! http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

I've never ordered Christmas cards from them, but have ordered other products and have always loved them. Plus, they have tons of designs to choose from.

Hope you get in on the deal too!

SUYL Dining Room

This week is show us your life, dining rooms. We moved into our first home in August of 2009, and I love our kitchen/dining area. Our home doesn't actually have a designated dining room, but we do have plenty of room for a large table separate from our work area in the kitchen. Eventually I would love to have a formal dining room, but this definitely works for now. I love our table, it is counter height. We eat every meal at the table, which I also love. The flower arrangement on was made by my Mom's best friend, and the painting and sconces were wedding gifts. I can't find a before picture of the room. It originally had a fruit print wallpaper, which was the first thing that was changed the day after we moved in! Here are some pictures from my iPhone, not the best quality, but you get the picture!

Where did summer go??

Well, it has been quite some time since I've posted. This summer has been extremely busy for the Townsend family, Romeo included :)

We started off June with a few trips to the lake and a trip to St. Louis for my birthday. I got to shop 'til I dropped then we headed to dinner at the Melting Pot. My amazing husband told them it was my birthday when he got reservations, so there were balloons and a package of chocolate fondue to take home. Hello, heaven, it was just as amazing at home.

The following weekend we headed to Norfork Lake with my family, it was a blast. Love everything about that lake, except it is 5 hours away from us :( We also went to lake a few other times that month, and my mom, sister, and I took a shopping trip to Memphis! My Mom is a super shopper! My sister and I could barely keep up! Jeremy, Mom, Dad, and I also went to a Cardinals game in July, with free tickets from my boss in the Redbirds Club, what a nice guy :)

August has been equally busy for us as I am the type of person who never wants to just stay home. We've been to the lake a few more times and I made a trip to St. Louis last weekend to visit 2 of my best SEMO friends. We had a blast, stayed out until 3 a.m. just having fun! This weekend, Jeremy goes on a bachelor party/canoe trip with some buddies, and Romeo and I are heading down to visit my parents.

And...next Saturday morning we are leaving for a much needed vacation to New York City! I can't wait! I haven't taken a vacation day since our honeymoon in January. So when I say much needed that is definitely the truth! We have so many things we want to do and see and eat! I'm so ready for this trip! We didn't book it until the last week of July so luckily I haven't had to wait too long. I have a feeling next week will drag by due to all my excitement!

This summer has definitely been a fun one, and one I will always remember since it's our first summer as husband and wife! We have done many fun things and we will continue to throughout the year as we have weddings, my sister's 21st birthday, and the arrival of our first niece, Gracie!! I can't wait to meet her and spoil her like no other! I have a feeling she is definitely going to give me baby fever :) However, as much as I have enjoyed the summer of going many places on a whim, hopefully we will fight the fever for at least another summer...we shall see...

Happy 6 months :)

Happy 6 month anniversary to my wonderful husband! Time has flown so far.

1. What are your middle names?
Jeremy and Diana
2. How long have you been together?
Married for 6 months Friday
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Knew of each other around 6 months. We worked at the same company, different departments.
4. Who asked who out?
He asked me, but I definitely said YES!
5. How old are each of you?
27 and 23
6. Did you go to the same school?
No
7. Are you from the same home town?
No, they are about 1 hr and 20 minutes apart
8. Who is the smartest?
I would say Jeremy, he can figure anything out and put anything together
9. Who majored in what?
Jeremy has a degree in Industrial Technology and is about to wrap up his MBA. I have an accounting degree.
10. Who is the most sensitive?
Definitely ME.
11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Jamaica
12. Who has the worst temper?
Probably me, I tend to over react sometimes, sorry honey :)
13. How many children do you want?
Right now we are thinking 2….but we’ll see!
14. Who does the cooking?
I usually do, but he helps clean up
15. Who is more social?
He is, always knows someone no matter where you go.
16. Who is the neat freak?
Probably both of us. He is the germophobe though.
17. Who is the most stubborn?
We both have our moments…
18. Who wakes up earlier?
He usually does during the week, me on the weekends.
19. Where was your first date?
Texas Roadhouse
20. Who has the bigger family?
about the same
21. Do you get flowers often?
Occassionally, he has his sweet moments.
22. How do you spend the holidays?
Every holiday is different. Biggest struggle of being married is juggling holidays with familys an hour apart.
23. Who is more jealous?
Neither, really. But if I had to choose, I would say me.
24. How long did it take to get serious?
Not long at all, we definitely clicked from the beginning.
25. Who eats more?
He does…
26. What do you do for a living?
I work at an accounting firm, he does IT work for a big construction company.
27. Who does the laundry?
We both do, but he probably does more. Definitely during tax season
28. Who's better with the computer?
Him, advantages of marrying a computer geek.
29. Who drives when you are together?
He does
30. What is your song?
Our wedding song was "At Last" by Etta James, such a classic.

A little something

Saw this on Mallory's blog and thought I would re-post my own!

My blog friend, Emily, shared this today and I thought I would too. I'm also putting off getting up and getting busy!

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 80 while we are at work. It is set to turn down to 75 at 5:00p.m. so it cools down before we get home!

B- My BEDROOM theme is: Turquiose and brown with accents of gold, I like things to look classy!

C- The CAR in the driveway is: Nissan Pathfinder & Ford Explorer Sport-trac

D- My DESK looks: at work- rediculously messy! At home, it just has a few important papers waiting to be filed away.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: Usually around 6:30, not a specific time.

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my face

G- My GARAGE is filled with: my car, lawnmower, weedeater, etc.

H- My HOUSE is: Has almost been ours for an entire year! I finally have everything the way I want it.

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: the bed, chest, dresser, nightstand, 2 lamps, laundry basket, and quite a few shoes in the floor...oops!

J- My favorite JUICE is: Apple, however, I rarely drink juice.

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: I love everything about our kitchen. From the paint to the appliances. Definitely the selling point of our home.

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: My Mom and Dad came up for dinner last night, love having people over!

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: Birthday Cards!!

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: Probably never home...we seem to always have something going on.

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: leftovers from last night's dinner!

P- My last house PARTY was: It's been a while, we've been out of town a lot lately. Probably in the spring, having friends over for dinner and drinks!

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: burgers on the grill, yum!

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: kitchen or bedroom.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is: a variety...right now scruples

T- My largest TELEVISION is: 42" upstairs. One of the few things my husband contributed from his bachelor pad apartment, lol!

U- UNDER my bed you will find: A blanket, and possibly a dog bone.

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: I think last Wednesday, time to vacuum again!

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: our deck with pretty flower pots, our back yard, and a bean field.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: Money! That way I wouldn't be so nervous about starting a family!

Y- My YARD is: my husband's job. Even if I offer to blow off the driveway, he insists on doing it. Oh well :)

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: In college I would stay up until at least 1 every night. Now if I see the 10 o'clock news I think I need to hurry up and get to sleep!

Top 2 Dates

There are many different "dates" Jeremy and I have been on that have been memorable. I love most every moment I spend with him, and he definitely knows that. To narrow down these moments down to two is very difficult, but possible.

1. Jeremy's sisters wedding. Jeremy's sister, Natalie, was engaged when Jeremy and I started dating in July. Her wedding was October 18th. I knew that if Jeremy was really serious about me he would ask to go to her wedding. Not only did I get an invite to the wedding, I also got to sit at the head table with his family. It was then that I was certain that I wanted him to be my husband. The night was wonderful, and nothing can make you fall more in love than going to a wedding :) I love weddings! They give me goosebumps...

2. The weekend before Thanksgiving last year, Jeremy and I went to Branson for the weekend. We had been doing nothing but wedding planning and just wanted to get away and not worry and I wanted to get a head start on Christmas shopping too. The first night we went to the Landing and had dinner and then went to Ernie Beggs Piano Bar. It was one of the most fun times we've had together. We didn't know anyone else in the bar besides each other and still had a blast. I think we would both agree that our relationship definitely strengthened that weekend and made us even more anxious to be husband and wife :)

Monday Already?!

Why is it the weekends always go sooo fast? I, once again, had a pretty busy weekend. It was full of many different people and places, and I loved every second.

Friday I got off at noon. I headed down to Holcomb to my Mom's school then we drove down to Jonesboro to visit my sister. We had a great Japanese dinner and also had time to hit up Dillards and TJ Maxx. I love shopping with my Mom and sister, and I found a great swimsuit for the summer. I'm ready for the Lake!

Friday night I stayed at my parents house. They are currently getting new floors and other things done in their house, so needless to say it is a disaster. I had to sleep on the couch because all of the beds are covered in stuff. I know it is driving them crazy! Saturday morning I woke up quite early and went out to breakfast with my parents, then headed back to my house.

I got ready real quick then a college friend came down from STL for SEMO graduation. After graduation we went downtown to Bella Italia and then rested a while before going out that night. Downtown was crazy busy on Saturday night, almost to the point where at times I felt like I couldn't breathe! Still fun though getting to see lots of friends.

Sunday morning Jeremy and I went to LaCroix church. We both really liked it and think we will go back. After church we had Jeremy's company picnic at Cape County Park. It had really good food and we won a $25 gift card to Kohls, score! After that we headed up to STL to pick up my cousin who is visiting my family this week. My grandparents picked her up at our house this morning. Had a nice, quick visit!

I am now getting ready to head to Columbia for the School Audit Seminar tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a long day! Will miss my hubby and puppy tonight :)

Life so Far

As I type my 3rd Blog post, I begin to wonder where the time has gone since the beginning of March. After many worries that April 15th would never arrive, it has almost been a whole month since my post tax season celebration began. I've started going to the gym everyday after work, and cooking dinner for my husband as well. I'm beginning to take back all my wifely duties that I had been slacking on. However, I do have a great husband who was more than willing to pick up the slack when I was working close to 60 hour weeks.

Now work has slowed down and I am enjoying life once again. I don't hate my job, just hate the stress it puts on me. I do know that I don't want children until I can find a job with 40 hour weeks, or my husband makes enough for me to stay home (wishful thinking :)). I enjoy spending time with my husband and want to make family number one priority.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. Lots of things going on. Tomorrow, I get off at noon and am driving down to my Mom's school where she teaches, then we are going to visit my sister at ASU and I will get to see her new apartment. Things like this get me super excited. I love spending time with my Mom and sister and we will also get to do some shopping. TJ Maxx is calling my name! Saturday I am heading back to our house and Erin, one of my best friends from college, is visiting. We are going to celebrate our friend, Kate's, graduation from SEMO.

Sunday is also a busy day for us. Growing up, I always went to church every Sunday. When I moved to SEMO, I never started going again. I really want to find a church that we can belong to and participate in. So, last week we started on our way to find a new "church home". This Sunday we are going to visit another. There are many Methodist churches in our area, so I'm sure we will find one we feel like we belong. Besides church on Sunday, we also have Jeremy's company picnic. Sunday will be a full, eventful day.

Looking forward to the weekend for sure!

Come on Weekend!

To me every weekend is exciting. However, this weekend is going to be even more exciting. My husband, puppy, and I are going to visit my parents and spend the night Saturday after work. I couldn't possibly be more excited. I haven't been home since our wedding, and I have only seen my parents for about a total of maybe 5 hours since then. I can't wait. My sister is coming home as well, so my Mom is more than happy to cook our favorite meals. I don't know what I'm more excited about, the company or the food.

I like to cook, and usually do during the week. I enjoy cooking, and enjoy it even more that my husband always brags about I'm a good cook. I don't know if actually means it, or just wants to humor me. Whichever the case, it makes me happy :) However, tonight we went out. Thanks to a Valentine's Day gift card from my lovely parents, we went to Red Lobster. It was amazing as usual.

As an accountant, this is an extremely busy time in my office. Corporate tax returns are due on March 15th so it's starting to be crunch time. This is the first night this week I have actually relaxed and not had to work from home or do homework. It is extremely convenient being able to log into work from home, but it sometimes just makes me feel like I should constantly be working. I say this everyday, but I can't wait for April 15th. We have planned to go to a winery and rent a house and stay the night with a bunch of our "couple" friends. I am looking forward to it very much. Not only will it be my first Saturday with no work, but I also love wine and spending time with friends so it will be a blast.

There are already many things that I'm looking forward to after April 15th. I already have the first 3 weekends planned. Before we know it, it will be the 4th of July! Time for Grey's Anatomy.

My First Post

This is officially my first ever blog post. I would like to start "blogging" as I like reading other people's blogs and thought I should contribute one of my own as well. I don't live the most exciting life, but to me it's great.

I live in Southeast Missouri with my husband, Jeremy, and our dog, Romeo. I met Jeremy when I was an intern at the company he works for while I was in college. We "secretly" dated until I found a new job, and before long we were engaged. Like most girls, I was so excited to plan a wedding, and I think ours was awesome. We loved having all of our family and friends at the same place at the same time. It was quite the party. We got married on January 2nd. So far married life is everything I dreamed of, I love calling Jeremy my husband. He has that special way of making me laugh no mater what is going on, and he does our laundry!

We bought our first home last August, so right now one of my main interests is decorating every room to a "T". I also enjoy cooking, shopping, and going places with my husband and friends. I am an accountant in a public firm, so right now in our office is crazy. I want to blog and maybe help de-stress after those crazy busy days. I love my job and the fact that it is challenging, but I will jump up and down when I leave the office on April 15th.

Right now my spare time is very limited, but I would like to take time to blog. It will be a great way to look back and reflect on the things we've done :)