Order Holiday Cards (**check**)

I am pleased to report that our 2010 holiday cards have been ordered! Whoo hoo! 

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. . .  and I am super excited to report that all 50 cards were FREE (total savings of $104.50!) courtesy of Shutterfly!  After posting about Shutterfly's awesome holiday cards and blogger promo (and, of course, sending a link of the post back to Shutterfly) I was promptly emailed a promo code for 50 folded or flat 5x7 stationery cards!  Yeah! 

Tis the Season... of Giving

I love finding the perfect present for my friends and family.  It brings me a great deal of joy to know I can give someone a gift that will bring a smile to their face and make them happy.

To bring holiday cheer to local children, my office is supporting an organization called the Children's Alliance of Hawaii.  We have a Christmas tree in our main lobby with the names and holiday wishes of children.  Although some of the children are asking for MP3 players and "skinny jeans" others are asking for such simple things as a backpack, a book, shoes, and art supplies.  

The "angel"I selected is a little girl who wants a book or a game; I'm getting  her both.  It may not be much, but through a simple gift, it makes me happy to know that I am able to bring some holiday cheer to a child who may not otherwise have had any presents or a tree to put them under.  

Christmas Countdown!

Today is the first day of December and the countdown to Christmas has officially begun!  

Last night I was super excited when I realized that I had finished almost all of our holiday shopping before December!  That excitement was short lived: I realized that the Mister and I still had to work on our holiday cards!!
And then... 50 Free Holiday Cards? *Whaa? Really* -Can you imagine how super happy I was to learn about a blogger deal from, your friends and mine, Shutterfly!  The good people at Shutterfly are asking bloggers to do what they do best: blog (about their favorite holiday cards)!
But now the problem is... which Shutterfly card to choose? After looking through the holiday card selection there are SO many great cards to choose from; here are just a few of my faves:

I'm super excited for the Mister to help me choose our 2010 holiday card (I already picked the picture)! 

PS. to the other bloggers who haven't made your holiday cards yet, check out this deal: what an amazing offer! 

Tis the Season!

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The lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree in New York City's Rockerfeller Center was tonight!  There was an entire TV special dedicated for the holiday excitement.  This year's Norway spruce towers over 74 feet and weighs 12 tons, is covered in 30,000 multi colored LED lights wrapped on 5 miles of wire, drinks up to 90 gallons of water (on the onset), and will be visited by approximately 2.5 million people!

PS. Happy Birthday to Mother! 

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to the Mister! 

*i love you*

Black Friday!

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I'm sure my feet would disagree, but I fondly remember Mother and I waking up obscenely early every morning the day after Thanksgiving to start our Holiday shopping.   This year, unfortunately, I had to work;  it was a total bummer since the office was super empty and most people took the day off -and one person had the audacity to call in *cough* sick!

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After work (and a nappie nap) the Mister and I hit the mall - just to see the craziness in action.  Surprisingly, the mall wasn't too crowded and we found some great presents at some amazing prices!  Everyone knows how much I love a great deal but you gotta check this out: we got 2 full sets of fluffy Martha Stewart towels, a set of pjs, 3 Roxy tops, Quicksilver boardshorts for ONLY$97!!! Crazy!
We finished the evening with approximately 60% of our shopping done, lots of motivation to finish the rest of our shopping, and all of our holiday spirit is still in tact! Whoo Hoo!

A Thankful Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving I am reminded of how truly blessed I am and how much I have to be thankful for:  
Preparing for Thanksgiving is altogether rather daunting especially when you are preparing for 4 parties but luckily, last night I was baking til almost midnight, and despite the fact that he had to be up at 4AM the Mister was in the kitchen with me measuring dry ingredients, washing dishes, and just keeping me company.  -I am incredibly thankful to be engaged to a wonderful, thoughtful, and loving guy who always makes me feel loved and appreciated.
Four Thanksgivings on one day is a bit excessive to some people, but I am thankful I had a chance to spend quality time with my parents as well as my (large) extended family and catch up with everyone.  
And although my stomach is stuffed after eating my way through four Thanksgivings, I am so very thankful that today, and all other days of the year I always have (more than enough) food to fill me.  I am also so incredibly thankful for a great bunch of friends who I can depend on and who support me in all that I do, my health which lets me get through each day worry and pain free, and a great education that has given me so many great opportunities.
And, as I am typing this blog, I am sitting on a nice comfy couch and I am reminded that I am very thankful that I have a warm and secure place to call home (and that my computer has spell check).

Happy Thanksgiving!