12 is the Lucky Number: A New Years Post

What a great year its been:

1. We explored our area and tried new things

2. Made New friends

3. We found and adopted Ruby Etta and although potty training was a pill, its been great.

4. Our trip to Montana for Michael's cousin's wedding. The whole family on Michael's mothers side was there for the first time since we got together.

5. Michael's sister leah came back after Montana with us for a visit.

6. Turning 21!!!

7. Finding a Church and a home there

8. Celebrating 3 years together.

9. Getting my first real job.

10. Finding a good doctor.

11. Joining a community group, and with it, a fabulous group of friends, and events that include girls nights, game nights, Halloween, thanksgiving and christmas parties

12. Lastly, we threw the Christmas party!!!!

12 major changes. Apparently one for each month.

It's been a wild year. Of course I wish I was a little more productive, but that's because you tend to look at all the stuff you don't end up getting done. When you look at all the stuff we did end up doing. This year was full of change, growth and a lot of moving forward.

And I fully hope this next year is just as great!

I hope for all of you as well, that 2015 is a year full of growth, hope, love, failure (because that means you are trying) and success. That you try new things, even if they're scary. That you make the jumps, instead of playing it safe, and that you all are truly blessed in this next season of your life.

Happy New year everyone! See you next year ;)

New Years Eve Nails!!!

New Years Eve is that one time where you get full permission and understanding to wear as much glitter as you want/can. Ha! I decided to go full out and be prepared for the night... with my nails that is :)

The picture above shows off the layers I used, and like any good blogger, I'm going to explain myself.

I wanted something glittery with different colors and sizes, without overdoing it, and that called for a few different polishes.

First you go with a solid, or a couple layers of an iridescent polish. I wanted a light undertone, so I went with the green iridescent polish, which gave it that extra sheen.

I added small pink sparkles, because I didn't want the pink to be overbearing, just a nice accent color.

The picture looks like the third bottle is a white sparkle polish, but its actually very fine multi color/iridescent sparkles. It added the perfect sparkle sheen, a great filler, and a good sparkle polish, even on its own.

Last but not least, the chunky blue confetti polish, it added the perfect final touch to the whole thing. 

There you go, the perfect multi-color glitter party nails for your New Years Eve bash! 

(unless you don't like them, then just do something else, lol)

The Holiday Expectation: A Christmas Story.

So I would love to come up with something really insightful and profoundly deep for my Christmas post. But sadly that's not what this is going to be.

Christmas is a time where expectations are too high and people who apparently can control their expectations tell you that you should focus on the true meaning of Christmas and that will be enough.

Though you have heard it every year, and you understand the true meaning of Christmas, and you know what you should be focused on. Doesn't prevent you from feeling horrible for expecting too much, and not being able to switch the lever that controls expectations off. 

It doesn't make the sting go away when things don't live up to your expectations. Because I CAN'T control my expectations, I'm always day dreaming on how to make things perfect for others, and for me, and then sadly, nothing lives up to it. 

Now that doesn't mean I can't be blessed.

Like a friend of mine got me an expensive facial wash I was planning on getting someday. My mother crocheted me some beautiful infinity scarves, and my father helped us out financially when we had a gap in jobs.

All of that was a huge blessing this year, and I am able to realize that, and be thankful.

For me, my love language to give, is gifts. Finding the perfect gift for someone. Something that they wouldn't normally get themselves, something that would bless them, or be useful.

I just love it. When I don't have the funds to spread that, or when the closest person in the world to me, has meltdowns trying to buy a gift and ends up getting me nothing and being a downer the whole  Christmas season with their attitude, Christmas can sting a little.

Even if you find a way to make up for it after Christmas, its not the same. Christmas is over, so is the excitement, and the magic of it all is mostly gone. 

Then real life kicks in, so you feel bad spending money.

Oh the wonderful world of consumerism. What a blast :p

Over the years things have gotten better with my special someone. But this year he had a relapse, and I had to carry him through the holidays.

Sure I understand the pressure. I am aware of how he feels and I try my best to work with him on things. But it doesn't hurt any less when your husband has to lie to you about buying presents, or goes out shopping christmas eve and still comes back with nothing. All out of the crippling fear of disappointment.

Wow, do I feel like a horrible person, and telling people this stuff makes me feel even more like a horrible person, because all they think is..."wow what does she do to make her husband so miserable" 

I'm ashamed as I'm writing this now. 

Sorry to break your bubble everyone, but I'm human, and I have flaws:

high expectations, and dreams of perfection are one of them.

You see, this isn't all either of our faults. Satan knows just how easy we are to attack at this time.

His whispers' in my husbands' ear and says "nothing you get her will please her, you're just one big disappointment"

and he whispers in my head and says "Wow he can't even get you something off of a list you made, see how little he cares and loves you".

All season long we sit around with these lies floating around our head.

Its not 'til after Christmas that we realize that the enemy has a foothold on us, and we have to do our part to go to God and shake him loose.

But I wanted to share this, for those going through our problem.

Seeing movies and shows ruined me growing up. even commercials. They said good husbands who love you are supposed to dote on their wives on Valentines day, Christmas, your birthday and your anniversary. and those who don't, just don't care about you. and its even harder, because I think about gift-giving for people year round. I'm constantly seeing things that people would love and appreciate. So it extremely hard to understand why just going out and buying whatever, to even just make Christmas happen, is so hard.

Consumerism and advertising is a plague, and I hate it. They give unrealistic expectations, and make everything in life look amazing. Proms always look way cooler then they are in the movies, Weddings look like a high class events. that are "the place to be" or "the event of the season" (which sure, some are), Birthday Parties are always the coolest, and perfection comes easy to a lot of the population in cinematic.

When its just not real life.

But its hard when you are a visualizer like me, who always visualizes the best possible outcomes for events and situations, knowing they won't turn out that good. Trying to tell myself to not get excited. It just doesn't work.

 This is one of my problem area's. maybe some of you think less of me, and maybe someone out there can relate.

Thankfully the Lord is still working on me. I'm still a lump a clay constantly being molded, and so is Michael. We both have to take out crap, out baggage, our flaws, and sins to the Lord and hand them over on a constant basis.

Because he is the only one that can change our ways. He is the only one who can change our views, and expectations, and even what we view as blessings.

This isn't some inspirational story on how I overcame something, or how Our relationship is the bomb because everything is peachy keen all the time.

I wanted to write this to share with you all a struggle we have. Flaws and situations we deal with. a problem area that we have to work on all the time.

Because taking things to the Lord isn't just this realization, giving it up, and poof things are fixed. 

as human beings, we are constantly grabbing our problems back from him after we lift them up. sometimes unable to fully give them over. It's because we are weak, that it is a constant thing to focus on. A challenge to keep on working through and giving up to him until we can fully let him take it all and not grab it back again.

To trust that he will take care of it. That its not our Job.

But that continues on, in a conversation for another day.

So let me tell you about our Christmas and why it wasn't a total disappointment like I make it sound.

This was our first Christmas celebrating with Ruby Etta (our puppy) and we got to spoil her pretty good. She's grown up a lot in the fact that she started going potty completely outside, no more pee pads, and ruined carpet. She has been sleeping with us up on the bed every night. We haven't caged her in 2 weeks.

We have friends and a community to celebrate with. I got to help with some photos for the church and we have had many fond gatherings with friends over the season. 

Michael got a good job, and we desperately needed it, He has had off work and its left us a lot of time to spend quality time together.

One of my friends out here who hasn't gone to church in a long time came with us to Christmas Eve service, and it was so nice having her there.

and we got a super cheap, big, beautiful Christmas tree :)

Christmas eve with my mother.

I do also want to give a shout out and say thank you to everyone who sent us a card or a gift. 

Parties Parties and Parties!!!

The last christmas party I was at, was probably a family function or in high school.

Well I am officially back on planet earth!

My first ugly sweater party.

Our Churches' creative arts volunteer party.

AND I finally got to host my first community group gathering/christmas party.

All of this has been a huge blessing! and tons of fun :)

The ugly sweater party felt a little like a college party since it was mostly a bunch of college kids and a few friends from group. But it was a fun experience. Michael even participated in beer pong, haha.

Our Friend Liz from group hosted with her roommate. Nice apartment complex with a fairly large 2 bedroom apartment.

One that I visited again a week later for girls night with Liz, Arielle, Megan and I.

A nice intimate affair, featuring wine, Manicures and the movie 'Just Married' :)

The volunteer party the next day, was filled with a ton of people I didn't know. But it was nice getting to know some more people from the church and join a giant White Elephant exchange.

Last, but not least, the Christmas party I hosted for our Community group.

I literally spent two days baking and still ran around with a chicken with my head cut off getting things together. I so should have pre-prepared better. Without blaming, a few friends were supposed to help out and bailed, so things took a bit longer.

Thankfully the party went fantastic! almost everyone from our group came at one point, and we all had a wonderful time! it was such a blessing having everyone here at our home, enjoying the food we made and having a blast with one another.

So far its been an amazing holiday season.

Open Sesame

Recently I tried a Lebanese restaurant. something I wouldn't normally do, since I'm not particularly fond of middle eastern/Mediterranean food.

but I've also been feeling very adventurous, and because of my distaste for middle eastern food, I hadn't had it in years. So I figured that it was high time to start giving it a shot.

The little restaurant was called Open Sesame. Located in Belmont Shore, Long Beach.

(they also have a location in LA)

http://www.opensesamegrill.com

Cute litte place on the corner, with nice mood lighting and a sliding glass window to the ouside, where they have 2 little tables.

I ended up getting the Kafta pita sandwich with Basmati Rise

-KAFTA

Charbroiled skewer of extra lean ground beef, lamb, parsley, onion and Lebanese spices, with hummus, parsley, onion, tomato and sumac

 and Michael ordered a Special.

When I had middle eastern food in the past, I remember it being very bland and that was one of the reasons I disliked it. 

But both dish's were very Robust in flavor. I know I played it safe with the pita sandwich, but I was very delicious, and a good size portion.

All together the service was very friendly and accommodating, and the food was great.

I'm very happy I'm in a place to be able to try new things, and its safe to say I'll be continuing to put myself out there to try new things when i can.

Walking around and checking out Belmont Shore was fun as well. We had been meaning to check it out for almost a year and never had gotten around to it. Yet always passed by on our way to Long Beach.

Cute shops, a variety of good-looking places to eat, and another Buffalo Exchange (Hipster trendy thrift store) that is a lot cheaper then the one near us. I ended up grabbing 3 dresses for around $30 :)

I love exploring and trying new places and experiences with my husband. We always have so much fun and even if we don't do much, we still have a great time together

Whats Blue, Gold, Merry and Bright?

Our christmas cards are in :)

S now I can share the photo shoot we had earlier in the month.

Merry Christmas from the Robbe's :)

P.S. All the photos are quite different, because I worked on them at different times. lol

Megan and Jacob M

I've been getting back into photography lately, and friends of ours asked me to take their Christmas photo's. So I wanted to share them with you all.

                        

We had a wonderful time driving up to Oak Glen and spending the afternoon together.