Lots and lots of updates!

Oh my word, I have so much to talk about! The holidays have been a bit nutso around here, so I haven't had much time to update blogs. I suppose I should tell you all that C and I had a lovely Christmas, and both of us got everything we wished for, along with some things we didn't even know we wanted. :) C painted me the most amazing watercolor...it's hippo Harry Potter, and yes, I squealed a little when I saw it. It's so awesome! Just in case you didn't know, hippos are my favorite, and so is Harry Potter, so just take a moment to imagine the two combined into one incredible work of art.

I sent C on a scavenger hunt around the house for the pieces of his present. Once assembled, he was pretty thrilled to see the ominous-looking robot/cyborg Lego thingy I got him. :) Both of us put together art projects for his parents. He painted a watercolor of the Northern Lights, and I assembled my best photography and put the ten photos in a frame for them. Everyone was pretty pleased with the day.

In terms of my list, I've actually accomplished a lot in the last few weeks. I think it would be easiest to discuss them in the order they appear on the list, and I'll try to supplement with photos when I can. So...here it goes.

#30: Buy a Rubik's cube and solve it. This one is in progress at the moment. I purchased a Rubik's cube a few weeks ago and mixed it all up. Here's what it looked like right before I started working on it.

Pretty, right? I've been working on it for about thirty minutes at a time on days when I think about it. Needless to say I'm not putting a ton of effort into it right now, but it'll be finished before this list is! I didn't realize it would be so hard...

#36: Bake Christmas cookies for family and friends. I did this with the little boy I take care as well as with C and his family. The ones I made at work were given to my bosses and their family members. The cookies we baked here at home were eaten with gusto, although we did manage to put together plates for every house on the block (18 total!). Our cookie supply is pretty low now, but boy, were they delicious! Definitely worth the work we put into them. :)

#45: Spend a weekend unplugged in Sedona. This one was just completed this past weekend. C and I spent the weekend in Sedona with his parents for Christmas. I left my laptop at home and turned my cell off as soon as we left the driveway. I even managed to convince everyone else to do the same! It was exciting and nerve-wracking all at once. I've been an avid cell phone user for over seven years now, so to have my phone completely off was odd for me, but well worth it. We trekked up to Flagstaff and enjoyed a day of playing in the snow, and took in the Tlaquepaque light show in Sedona. I didn't worry about texts or calls or e-mails the entire time. I got a lot of photography in and had a really relaxing weekend with my fiance and future in-laws. I think I may even do it again sometime. :P Here are some photos from the trip.

#57: Increase my number of Disney DVDs by at least 15. We added two more to our collection, courtesy of Santa Claus. Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are now part of our extensive library of movies, both of which I love. I'd been craving music from The Nutcracker, so Fantasia arrived just in time. :)

#99: Do something special for my brothers. I'll post more about this once I reveal it to them, just in case they read this. Just know that it's done, and it's awesome. :D

In other news, our puppy celebrated her first birthday last Thursday. She's a big girl now! We got her a bunch of new toys, and Grandma and Grandpa C sprung for a new pillow bed for the living room. She's a very lucky pup. Check out the happiness on her face!

I should probably stop for now...hopefully I didn't lose anyone!

J