Jenny Snyder

After much anticipation, we finally bought new furniture for the man room today!  First our ottoman suffered a slow, painful death... then couch began getting disemboweled (mind you, this was 10 year old furniture that had seen its share of post-college living, so it was time for it to go... the dogs just sped up the process).  Once we found a new set that we fell in love with, we said goodbye and spent the day flipping the room.

Here's the new set, along with an accent rug we really liked:

 

We rearranged the room a little so that the new settee and ottoman face the Nintendo Wii - which were behind me as I was taking the picture.  I actually played with the Wii for the first time tonight and LOVED it!  I tried bowling and tennis and loved both, but really got hooked on tennis... I wanted to beat Kev at just one game, but no luck yet.  I'll keep trying; I definitely came close!

Way to go.  I've let almost 3 weeks go by since I've blogged about Christmas.

Here's the rundown, with pictures:

The Tuesday/Wednesday before, Dave & Brooke came through on their way from Tampa to Pittsburgh for an overnight stop.  Dinner, drinks, shopping, good buys, and fun times were had.

Christmas Eve brought wrapping, unwrapping, and car packing for a trip to Raleigh the next day.  Rowdy, at this point, had taken over the Christmas tree skirt as his own bed.  No point in arguing... it was a losing battle.  Pirate dogs always win.

 

 Fletch's new winter hoody.  Nice that he's bored to sleep.

 

 Rowdy's new bed also doubles for present storage.

Christmas Day we trekked to Raleigh and took up camp at Mom's.  We spent the afternoon and evening with Mom and Granny eating, opening presents, napping, eating, and eating.  Good grief... I love going home to my mom's for holidays!

The next day, Kevin was excited to wake up and go straight to Golfsmith (a golf superstore that a friend of mine runs that, as of right now, hasn't come to Charlotte) for after Christmas sales.  And you thought I was the only shopper under our roof!??!  Later that evening, we went to visit our friends, Steve and Ann to watch the second installment of Narnia.  As a reminder, these are our friends that have the HUGE swing in the backyard that I posted a video of a few weeks ago.  Well, Steve talked Kevin into doing it in the dark this time.  Dark.  And upside down.  And closing his eyes.  I just stood on the porch and prayed.

Saturday, we headed out early, but took our usual stop to see little Braxton, baby Annalise, Jim, and Erica.  I think Kevin and Braxton are new BFFs.  Braxton got a puppet show tent for Xmas and he and Kevin were inside playing... when I tried to go in, Braxton said "no girls allowed".  I've been ousted from the club.  Kevin says he'd have a human baby now if it would come out Braxton's age (which is about 2 1/2 yrs) - I reminded him that would be a little painful on my end, but a lovely thought.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed time holding and bouncing baby Annalise (who has just turned 2 months).  I kinda like 'em that size.  They're just so soft and squishy!

We got home Saturday afternoon in time to clean up, unpack, and prep for Brooke & Dave, who were coming back through for the night, and our friends Kara and Bryant to come over for post-holiday munchies and drinks. The guys couldn't pull themselves away from the shuffleboard table most of the night (which is great, because that's probably the 4th time we've ever used it!), and Brooke was the most excellent Arnold Palmer maker (lemonade & sweet tea vodka).

     

We had a wonderful holiday 2008 season.  It was relaxing.... filled with fun and memorable moments of our close friends and family... and special moments with our little family.  And now we're ready to kick off 2009!

FINALLY... its beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our house!

This is the first year both in our new house and since we've been married that we've decorated for Christmas.  In 2006, we were barely a week over moving and nowhere close to decorating.  And in 2007, I was just beginning to heal from Dad's sudden passing, so I wasn't much for the holidays.  But this year, I was excited to start adding pieces bit by bit.  The last time we had done anything Christmas-y was at our Raleigh house in 2005.

Sweet hubby apparently had a plan to go to Home Depot, pick out the new items, and beat me home to have the house and porch fully decorated as a surprise... but I threw a wrench in his plans when I called him mid-day to tell him I was heading home early (he was still at HD).  SO, we spent Saturday night decorating together.  We don't have a lot of great place for trees in our house - plus 3 pirate dogs who could knock it over, so Kev came up with this tree from HD.  We also have lights/lit snowballs all over the porch, bushes, and LED lights along the walkway... but that didn't photograph very well.

   

It was also Kevin's birthday yesterday... and for the record, now starts the most wondrous time of year when Kevin and I are the SAME age and he can no longer make fun of me for being older than him for 4 months!  HA!

Anyway, sneaky husband opened his big present earlier in the week delivered by FedEx, so I only had one thing for him to open last night.  It was also the one-year anniversary of Fletch coming into our home... and apparently Fletch thought the present was for him.

   

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to my sweet boys!

'Tis the season to be... crazy busy!!!  Starting last weekend:

Friday night/Saturday - We got into Raleigh on Friday night for a wedding on Saturday afternoon.  Saturday morning, we went to visit our friends, Steve and Ann, who just adopted two adorable little girls from Russia!  Steve showed us the new swing he had engineered in his backyard... and I got this video of Kevin testing it out:

 

We headed to Johnston County to Winkie's house for her son's wedding later that afternoon.  The wedding was in a new wing of her house that has just been built and was AMAZING - her new kitchen is the size of our entire downstairs!  The reception was outside in a heated tent, complete with a dj's turning out 80's and 90's music picked by Rich & Jenny (the bride and groom).  What fun!  Of course, Winkie's husband, Carl, and a few other men did manage to sneak away most of the night to watch the Carolina game from the den.  I suppose that's a strong advantage to having a home wedding!

 

The new bride and groom, Rich and Jenny

 

Me and my "other Mom", Winkie

Sunday - On the way out of town, we made a stop by Jim & Erica's house to visit them, see the new baby again, and - of course - play with Braxton!  Every time we leave there house, we say that is one of the things we miss most about Raleigh - not seeing little B grow up.  That boy is the cutest thing in the world and certainly Kevin's favorite playmate!

Monday - Not an eventful day, but I did get some news that put a BIG smile on my face.  At work, we had a contest to come up with a new concept for our cat litter client for 2009 - out of the submissions received, 2 would be selected for presentation to the client.  I received an email on Monday evening that my concept had been chosen for presentation!  I will hopefully find out in a few weeks if the client has decided to move forward with it... (keeping my fingers crossed)

Tuesday - I went to see a good friend speak to a group at a hotel in SouthPark.  He's a great motivator for me, so it was refreshing, as it always is, to hear him.  It came at the perfect time, as I've been seeking advice from a couple of other smart & motivating folks recently to help me make some decisions for changes in 2009.

Wednesday - We went to the Christmas Cocktail at our golf club with our friends/Kevin's co-workers Bryant and Alicia.  But here's the funny part:  after the cocktail died down around 9pm, our favorite waitress Jen grabbed us and told us to follow her for the "real party".  She took us into a room where a private party from a local magazine was wrapping up, but the bar was still open and the dj was still spinning - and he was spinning OLD SCHOOL RAP!  YES!!  All in all, there were about 10 people left from the private party and about 20 members that came in - all young folks (which is a nice change from Cowan's Ford).  And I got Kevin to dance!  We stuck around an extra 2 hours for the secret dance party - totally worth staying up past my bedtime.

 

Bryant, Alicia, me, and Kevin

 

Kevin, Nickie (our awesome Membership Director), and Bryant

Friday - Okay, we had been waiting for this night for a while.  Why?  NEIL DIAMOND WAS COMING IN CONCERT TONIGHT!  We scored 13th row seats at half-price thanks to Craigslist and we were RIGHT beside the stage.  Absolutely some of the best seats I've ever had for a show.  Kevin is the bigger fan than I am, but it was one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen - all different ages, such a happy crowd, and everyone was on their feet and dancing during 75% of the show.  My favorite song that he does is "Coming to America" - I've loved it for years and years - and I was so moved seeing everyone singing it, watching a video that was playing with it, and hearing it live... that I began crying during the song.  Truly, truly moving.  I snuck my camera in and captured a couple of short clips of 2 songs... the top one is "Pretty Amazing Grace" and the bottom is "You Don't Bring Me Flowers".

 

Saturday - We went to a friend's Christmas party, met some new and interesting folks, and had a great time.  Again, surprisingly, Kevin let me keep him out until 1am!  This NEVER happens, so I'm quite thankful for the extra extra social time.

Sunday - We had a quite relaxing day today.  I FINALLY got my PERFECT Christmas card picture of the dogs, so I was able to design and order cards tonight - one more thing off of the holiday list.  (Is it really only 10 days until Christmas?  My to-do list is still really long!)  Our friend Joanna came over for dinner, so we had the chance to just stay low-key, hang out, and watch movies.

This week, I'm gearing up for the Michael Kors party!  I've ordered a new MK dress for the occasion... and its looking like we'll have a very decent turnout.  I'll post pictures after the event. 

For now... off to sleep!

Lots of silly little things happened today that put many smiles on my face...

At work, I have been put on our agency's "re-brand team" and have been made the project lead on designing and carrying out our Grand Re-Opening party for our new space.  Event planning is one of my most favorite things in the world, so I am thrilled to take on this project from start to finish!

Speaking of events, the Michael Kors "girls night out" is finally coming together... so stay tuned for details!  I think I'm more excited for that than for Christmas!

Tonight, Kevin and I went to the Santa Sale at our golf club and came home with two bag fulls of clothes (basically, we paid a per-head admission and were given a certain amount of credit on our account to spend... and everything in the shop was marked down!).  Lord knows, I love to shop!  And there were snacks and wine - and what's better than wine and shopping?!!?  90% of the shop is geared towards men, so Kevin walked out with 4 shirts, a jacket, a hat, a glove, and 2 bag tags... and I scored an off-white sweater and a navy & white jacket for myself.

I thought we were leaving at this point and went upstairs to walk back to car, where I found Kevin a bit frantic and excited outside of the dining room.  He grabbed me and pulled me inside to a table and explained to me that we were staying to eat because, for once, there was a buffet where he would eat EVERYTHING on it - fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, pork loin, turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans (For those of you who know my husband well, he is The World's Pickiest Eater.  This was a miracle from God.  Trust.).  And the best part for me?  The awesome Catering Manager, Jim, brought out a piece of their special pumpkin pie cheesecake from the back for me!!  A perfect ending to a great day!

I'm normally not one to publicly discuss politics or my political opinion... I think its a taboo conversation topic.  However, for the purpose of this blog entry, I have to bend a little in order to post my pictures. 

However, when I arrived to our assigned polling location, a local middle school, I was giddy and excited to see that we were at the "Home of the Fighting Mavericks" and thought it MUST be a good sign.

Unfortunately, yesterday's election didn't turn out as I had personally hoped, although I know there are many others who are happy.  And I am also glad that small talk at the dog park and conversations at dinner with friends can return to normal.

   

 

 

Maybe "nothing" isn't the best word choice... lots going on lately, both in town and out, that will take a few blogs to get back up to speed.

Starting with:  a lovely Saturday with Kelly a few weekends ago in Mooresvegas, including a hair-chopping for yours truly.  Lunch at Vinnie's on the lake, sundress shopping, and a search for the perfect centerpiece vase for my dining room table.  We also came across this lovely number for Kelly... what in the heck is a "wine twail"?  (Perhaps it was painted by Elmer Fudd?)

 

Picking out the right vase can be exhausting!

The following weekend brought about a Texas Hold'em Poker Tourney with friends and co-workers.  I managed to stay in longer than Kevin, but neither one of us took home the pot... despite the fact that Kevin was wearing his lucky J Crew hat:

 

A few days later, we had a well needed reunion of the LLLC now that Renee has returned back home to us!  She, Allison, and I met at Maddi's - our favorite Southern stomping ground - for good food, great drinks, and even better girl talk!  We even had a guest appearance from Allison's baby brother on his way down to SC.

And that almost brings me up to this past weekend... so more to come!

 

So there are several blogs that I subscribe to (just because I love to read blogs - really!) and one of my favorites is Damn I Like That.  The writer sends out a daily dose of retail therapy in a good range of prices and items (everything from clothes to household items to random whose-its and whats-its) and its always fun to check out.

One of the neat finds in yesterday's entry was something called Message Beans. I pasted the picture and entry below:

This is taking the concept of the greeting card to the next level. It’s called a Message Bean and it is really an innovative way to tell someone how you feel. Recipients will receive an aluminum pot with instructions on how to grow the bean. In order to see the message, they will have to water and wait for the bean to sprout up revealing a messages that has been lasered on one side and a picture on the other. You can choose messages from Thank You, to Happy Holidays, and of course Happy Birthday and more. Now you can give something that people can take part in and enjoy more than just a card.

Here's the funny thing... when I read this, I first thought - I would LOVE to get a Message Bean from someone!  But then, I wondered if I would torture myself waiting for it to grow and wondering what the message was inside (picture Ralphie from A Christmas Story trying to decode Little Orphan Annie's secret message as hurriedly as possible!).  Or - what if my black thumb killed it before I could discover who the secret message was from?  Are these things foolproof for organic dummies like me!??!  And just HOW do the get the message on there??  There's just too much to wrap my head around on this one....

A few weeks ago, Kevin had the opportunity to compete in the Brad Hoover Corporate Combine Football Challenge as a part of the team that his company put together.  It was designed to be a fundraiser for the YMCA and organized by its namesake, Brad Hoover, of the Carolina Panthers.  About 20 teams of 3-4 people competed, and they each rotated to a different football drill every 12 minutes.  AND each drill had a Panthers player manning the station!

Kevin was most excited about the field goal drill as he always felt he missed his true calling as an NFL kicker.  He was right... at the end of the day, he kicked a couple of 50 yard field goals!   Hmmmm... I wonder what it would be like to be a pro-athlete's wife?!?! :)

Kevin's team finished 3rd or 4th overall.  Kev placed 2nd in the Sack Drill out of about 80 people, and his team placed 2nd in the Snap Drill and Punt Kick Drill. 

Here's a video of Kevin doing the Running Back Drill:

Here's a few pictures that I "borrowed" from the photographer's website:

And here's one with Matt Moore and Brad Hoover from the Panthers:

thWhat a fun week... I wish it wasn't already Sunday night.

Monday night, Allison and I wished Renee off for another one of her cross-country tours.  We met for dinner at Maddi's Southern Bistro near Renee at Lake Norman.  We decided that when Renee gets back, we will all return again - with Hick'ry - for all-you-can-eat fried chicken night!  Good luck on the road, Renee - we'll miss you! 

Tuesday and Wednesday were low-key... Kevin came down with flu, so I watched after him.  Thursday, I went to pick up my new glasses - I've been dying for black frames for sometime, so I finally bit the bullet and did it!  I also went to get a LONG overdue facial from Modern Spa & Salon, which a local chain of Aveda salons in the area.  Now I've been a faithful Mario Badescu customer for years... but MB products are a little inconvenient to find around here (I could pick them up at the mall right next to my office in Durham when we lived in Raleigh).  SO - I've made a bold switch to Aveda products.  We'll see how it goes.  The facial was great and my skin seems to be loving the change so far. 

Friday night, Kelly and I had our monthly visit to Arnie's Tavern for nachos and martinis.  Much fun and laughter ensued.  See the before and after picture below. 

Saturday, we went to Lupie's Cafe in downtown Huntersville for lunch.  It's pretty well known around here, so I've been dying to go... and it was well worth it!  It's a fun little place with lots of ambiance... a great menu, great service... and I will definitely be back!  Check out the website if you have a chance to get the scoop.  We stayed in and vegged the rest of the day... it was SOOOO cold!

Sunday morning, I don't know who was more excited - me or the dogs.  Today was dog park day!  We went for the first time last week and the dogs had SO MUCH FUN (Kev and I did, too)!  They made lots of new furry friends today... and for once, Rowdy wasn't the runt... there was a small Jack Russell named Tucker who was shorter than him and a Boston Terrier who was just a bit tinier.  Rowdy did, however, elect himself Mayor of Dog Park.  He ran around and barked in EVERYONE's faces.  He didn't start trouble with anyone - just barked at them all.  Fletch and Kieran just ran... and ran... and ran.  Everyone played hard - and then we ALL came home and slept for a couple of hours!

I can't believe the weekend is already over...!  At least this week is starting with more sunlight!!  :)