thanks, santa!

Ok, I know, I've been a terrible blogger lately!  Things have been busy, and even when they haven't, I just haven't been on the computer as much the last few days.  With the holidays winding down (but not quite yet!) I hope to get into a better routine. 

Christmas was great.  We had a nice quiet Christmas Eve/morning at home, and then went to have Christmas dinner with our 4 fellow Americans here (2 guys on the team, one of their wives, and baby).  It was wonderful!!  I took my Peppermint Ice Cream/Chocolate cake over for dessert and it was a big hit.  I'll post the recipe tomorrow, promise!  I just want to get the pictures loaded on the computer so I can share those, too :)

Santa was pretty good to me... he had apparently been listening well because he brought me a new hair straightener (European one, since my one from home doesn't work well here) along with some mittens, a scarf, sweater, and various other goodies.  But I have to say, my favorite Christmas gift was....

The Marc Jacobs wallet that matches the purse that J bought me in the fall.  I've only been eyeing it up in the store like, every time I walk in there.  haha.  I'm so excited to have the matching pair now... and I was due for a new wallet, so it was perfect.  I must have been a really good girl this year!

My other favorite present- except this is a birthday present (my b-day is the 30th, I got it a couple days early even!) is the HTC DesireZ Android phone.

I've mentioned on here about missing my Blackberry and how they don't have them here in Finland- well, this is even better!  Aside from the fact that I can't BBM some of my friends :(  this phone is amazing!!  I'm still getting used to it and figuring stuff out, but I love it.  I feel so much more connected to the outside world now that I'm back to having a phone with internet, apps and the like. 

More important than any of our presents, we got to Skype with our families on Christmas.  I am so thankful that we were able to talk to AND SEE them!  It was almost as good as being there in person.  It's hard to think that it was just a few years ago that people couldn't even do that...

Also coming tomorrow, my book review of L.A. Candy, and the second book in the series by Lauren Conrad, Sweet Little Lies.  I read the first one in 48 hours after I got it, and the 2nd one I had all 300 pages finished in 24 hours.  That says one of 3 things:  1) It was a good book, 2) I have wayyy too much time on my hands or 3) All of the above.  Check back tomorrow to hear what I thought of them!

And finally, I know I mentioned that I hoped to spruce up my blog a little bit, but I just haven't gotten around to doing much yet.  That, and I'm fairly computer illiterate when it comes to that kind of stuff.  So, hopefully soon I'll have the time, energy, and patience to sit down and work on it! :)

Tomorrow is the first game back from "break", so hubby is already in bed.  Time for me to head also!  Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday filled with fun, family, food, thanks, goodies, and memories.  Goodnight!

10 things i am most thankful for in 2010

Sure, Thanksgiving was a month ago.  But all of the holiday season is a time to think about what we are thankful for and also to reflect on everything that happened over the past year.  With that, I decided to make a list of my:

Top 10 Things I am Most Thankful for in 2010

(tie) 1) Family and Friends.  No brainer.  Sorry if I'm boring you by putting them at the top of every list I make, but how could I not?  We're blessed with such wonderful people in our lives, and they deserve every bit of recognition that I can give them.  You help make both of us the people that we are.

(tie) 1) My husband.  I couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with.  This has been a huge year for us, and I know it's only going to get even better.  You're always there for me when I'm having a tough day and can always put a smile on my face. 

3) Our Dream Wedding.  It is, and probably will forever be, the best (and most fun) day of our lives.  We had 160 of our nearest and dearest all in the same room to celebrate us.  What more could you ask for?  Everything worked out flawlessly (ok, I'm sure there were a little bumps throughout the day... but obviously they weren't a big deal since I don't even remember them 6 months later!)  Everyone had such a blast and it turned out just the way we were hoping it to.  I'm even more thankful to our parents, because if it wasn't for them, it would have never happened.

4) Hockey.  Sure, it's a love-hate relationship, but there's no denying that it has brought great things to our lives.  First, it provides an income for us.  And how many other people get to move to Europe in their twenties?  There are definitely perks that come with the life.  On top of it all, my husband gets to wake up every morning knowing that he's going to a job that he loves.  Doesn't get much better than that.  As a friend of mine quotes on her facebook profile "Find a job that you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."

5) Other Hockey Wives.  Whether it's ones I know personally or not, these ladies make me feel a lot less alone in this crazy little world that we live in.  From advice to sharing stories, support to making new friends, I don't know what I'd do without them!  So few people understand our lives, so it's important to be able to connect with one another and have people to talk to who "get it".

6) Skype.  I hadn't really used Skype much until this year.  Now, I don't know what I'd do without it!!  Being able to talk to and SEE family and friends across the world is amazing.  I can't imagine what it would be like living over here without it (and it wasn't that long ago that people had to!)

7) Money.  But not in the sense that you're thinking of.  I am thankful that we have a steady income to support ourselves and pay the bills.  It seems like a simple thing, but so many people don't even have that.  The security that it provides makes day to day life a lot easier (which, I know, is where the irony comes in, since many say that money only complicates things)

8) Maddie.  She probably knows me better than anyone else, even my hubby.  She hears all my secrets and  see how I act when nobody is watching.  She nurses me when I'm sick, sleeps on my feet when they're cold, and listens to me when I need someone to talk to.  No one else gets so excited every time I walk in the door and makes me feel as important as she does.

9) Finland.  I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to live in this beautiful country.  I learn something new about it every day, and it has been a wonderful place to live.  Almost every person I have come into contact with has been welcoming and helpful.  The team has been wonderful to us, and I have only good things to say about our stay here so far!

10) Learning so many new things about myself.  Okay, that's kind of broad.  But I think I have grown a lot as a person in the past year especially, and I'm really proud of that.  Every challange that I face (and overcome) makes me aware of what a strong person I am.  I think I have always been ahead of my years in maturity, but I think I have surpassed even that in this past year.  I have learned a lot of new things about the world, cultures, people, myself, and life in general.  I'm pretty content with who I am right now :)

Also:  I added a "my story" page at the top.  For those of you interested in reading, you can also find it here.

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4 days until Christmas!

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