Things I'm Loving Lately

So there are a few things lately that have really caught my attention.  In no particular order:

NBC's new show The Voice!  After just two episodes I am officially hooked.  I love, LOVE this show.  I was never the person to get too into shows like American Idol, but I have really gotten hooked watching this show.  One of the things that I have really enjoyed so far is that the contestants don't get judged based on their looks, but just truly on their voices.  It has been fun to watch the variety of talent that you just wouldn't get to see on a show like American Idol where you have to be a certain age, height, weight, etc just to even get on the show.

Speaking of The Voice, a few of the contestants on the last two episodes auditioned singing songs by Adele.  Two of the contestants sang the particular song above.  I remember when I was in the hospital the first time, I heard her sing this song off of her new album on the Today show and I was hooked.  I know her album has been out since November, and I'm seriously considering going out and buying my first CD in a long time.  Her voice is haunting, enchanting and just plain awesome.  It also doesn't hurt that she has a look that is not typical of the "artists" you see in pop music today.  I am definitely a fan.

The new ride

Inside of the new ride

My new car :).  The pics above are actually my our new car.  Not that that Focus wasn't good to me, but it sure has been fun driving around in this bad boy.  It is such a smooth ride and I really enjoy the hands free blue-tooth feature.  The leather seats clean up so easily and there is even a Bridget-cam to prevent any run-ins with mailboxes!

The book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  A close friend's mom sent me this book as a part of a get-well package back in January after my surgery.  It's probably not a book that I would have picked out on my own, but I am so glad that she sent it to me.  The book really captured me and was an easy read to get through.  I really enjoyed the plot and getting lost in the lives the characters were leading, back in the depression and present day.  It's a book I would definitely recommend to anyone to read.

These are just a few of the things that have caught my attention lately.  I'll try to get in another update before I'm out for a while after my surgery next Thursday!

Vroom Vroom...

Well, in my last post I mentioned that Kyle and I were planning to go test drive some cars this last weekend.  JUST test driving was our intention.  So much for intentions.  After a long day of test driving cars and talking to dealers, we decided to buy ourselves a new car.

This isn't our exact car, but looks a lot like it.

We ended up buying a 2008 RX350.  I feel a little odd about the whole thing, but I must say I LOVE the car.  Love it!  Not that I wouldn't have been happy in a Highlander, I really like those as well, but we got everything I/we wanted in this car, it's loaded with more options than the 2011 Highlander and was just about the same price.  As crappy as the last 10 months have been for us, this is a nice pick-me up (in addition to me needing a new car that we could rely on).

Now it's time to start saving for the next big purchase...a new house hopefully within the next two years!

Highlanders, Muranos, Edges, Oh My!

After ten years of dedicated car ownership of my 2001 Ford Focus, Kyle and I have decided it's time to start looking at a new car for me.  Not that I won't miss the Foc_s (I spell it this way because some time ago the 'U' fell off the back of my car, so I drive a Focs).  I've had my car since I was a junior in high school.  It will definitely be weird driving in something else.  However, her age is starting to show, running "hard" as I describe it, even when the weather is okay.

After having driven the same car for so long, I definitely have a list of things that I am looking for in my next car.  I want a leather interior (cloth is harder to keep clean); I want bluetooth capability for my phone; and I want an SUV.  Especially during inclement weather, I hate being low man on the road in my car, and I know I would feel safer driving in something that sits a little higher up.

Other than those few requirements, I have no clue what I want.  I've think I might like a Nissan Murano, Ford Edge or Toyota Highlander.  I also feel like there are so many other dependable SUV's out there that I am not even aware of, but I guess that's how this whole car search thing goes.  Kyle and I are headed out this weekend to test drive a wide range of vehicles so hopefully after this weekend, I will have a better idea of what I want (though I'm not looking forward to having a car payment).

Other than that, not much has been going on in our house lately.  Kyle is finally coming out of busy season and I am nearing the end of our quarterly busy time (though really work hasn't been all that busy).  I'm in the 4 week countdown to surgery number two.  I'm grateful to be feeling so much better, but I am ready for the next step!

Happy Friday!

Blogging Resolution

I feel a little guilty about having become a bit of a blogging slacker after I made the public resolution I would do better!  I could say that I have good reasons for not having stuck with it, but if I were honest with myself, it's really not that hard to find 10 minutes out of the day to put together a little blog post.  Really, I waste that much time on facebook in a day, at least.  So here's my new blogging resolution.  I'm going to start out slow (I've learned the hard way when I try to convince myself to take on something all or nothing, it usually winds up nothing).  I am challenging myself to sit down once a week for fifteen minutes to write a post for the blog.  Easy, right?  At least it's a goal that I can measure and hold myself too.  So here's my first of hopefully many blog posts to come.

I won't go into the sorted details right now about my surgery and such, I have another post in the works that I used kind of like a diary to write down how I was feeling throughout the whole ordeal.  Needless to say I feel like I'm on the downward slope of this whole process.  One thing I will say is that I have been feeling AMAZING compared to how I was before my surgery.  No joke.  Even with this bag attached to my belly, I feel like more of a human being now than I have in months, probably since the wedding.  I'm definitely ready for the next step, but so happy to be feeling so much better.

Life in the McGuire household never seems to be dull.  This week is my niece's confirmation.  She asked me to be her sponsor, which I was very touched by.  It will be pretty cool to stand up with her in front of the archbishop with my hand on her shoulder as she chooses to join the church.  I know I haven't been able to be the supportive kind of confirmation sponsor I was wanting to be.  Getting sick really put a wrench in everything, but that will also teach me to not be such a procrastinator.  Luckily even after this week I can still try to be a mentor to her and do things together like go to mass and support her in her faith.  That's why sponsors are supposed to be for life, not just for now.  It will be good for my faith too; to help me grow in my faith.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

Things are starting to pick up at work since we are working on our quarterly report.  It may sound funny, but I am so excited to be able to be there for the whole reporting process, instead of just part of it.  I feel like I get to be a "whole" part of the team, making no excuses.  I'm excited to be able to help out and show them how much their support has meant to me.  I am so grateful and feel very fortunate to have the job that I do and to work for the people I do.

Our lab Duke just about lost his life last night.  I made some extra chicken last night at dinner for leftovers so I could have lunch today and possibly dinner tonight.  Duke was in the kitchen for no more than 5 seconds by himself and comes back into the living room cowered over and smacking his lips.  That damn dog got on the kitchen counter and helped himself to some chicken!  He's lucky Kyle loves him so much, I would have let him sleep outside all night.

Well, my fifteen minutes of blogging has gone by pretty fast.  I'm hoping to keep this up!  I should have a post up soon about my surgery and maybe even about how life has been post-surgery.  Until then.

Something a little special...(& Merry Christmas!)

This last Sunday Kyle and I made the trek to the thriving metropolis of Republic, Kansas to celebrate Christmas with the Hurley side of my family.  I feel like we have fewer and fewer chances anymore now that we are older to get together and see everyone, so it was a special treat that all of my cousins were there except for two (we definitely missed having Amanda and Brandon there, but a day trip from Salt Lake City might be a bit out of the question!).  It was really nice to be able to catch up with everyone on their lives and get to spend some quality time with my grandparents.  I am starting to realize that the older they get, the more special the time is I get to spend with them.  It's hard to see them get older, especially when I think back on all of the memories of them when I was younger.

My grandparents had a special Christmas present for Kyle's and I's first Christmas.  When Grandma told me it was something "breakable" so she did not want to send it in the mail, I don't think I have been so excited for a Christmas present in a really long time!  See, growing up, my mom had this stained glass nativity set she put out every year that my grandma herself made.  I LOVE my mom's nativity set; it is so pretty and so special knowing that my grandma made it.  My grandma became severely ill a couple of years ago and even though she has since recovered, she never has been able to take back up her stained glass making.  I kind of just assumed that I would have to inherit my mom's set if I ever wanted one of my grandmother's stained glass nativity scenes.  Well, to my surprise I found out that grandma has a nativity set stashed away for each of the grandkids (to give out after we each get married) and that was our special Christmas gift this year from my grandparents!  This is probably one of my favorite Christmas presents ever!  I already have it set-up in the kitchen in a safe place so the dogs can't break anything.  Here's a picture:



Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week before the holiday.  I did finally get my Christmas shopping done on Monday.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute!  I've decided this year that Christmas is just one day that is more about the time we spend with the special people in our lives and less about the things that we give and get.  I get everything wrapped tonight before we hit the road tomorrow, but at least it got done! 

Let's hope the weather cooperates for our travels to Wichita tomorrow.  I can't wait to see more friends and family over the holiday weekend.  In the mean time, Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Fa La La La La....

Last night I met up with a few of my favorite ladies for some cheese and chocolate at The Melting Pot.  On Monday nights they have a ladies night special that is a pretty good deal and made for a good excuse to get together right before the holidays!  I can't believe that Christmas is so close so it was nice to have some time to slow down and catch up with the girls before the craziness of the holidays take over (and before Liz leaves us for Iowa!).  It's these get togethers that remind me that I have such a great group of friends, the amazing cheese and chocolate were definitely a close second to the great company and conversation.

Besides spending time with some of my favorite people, I'm trying to figure out my Christmas shopping and what I am going to get people this year.  I am still struggling to get in the "spirit" to go shopping (though I've been in the Christmas spirit to decorate, bake and such); I am having a hard time coming up with just the right thing to get for those I'm buying for, especially my husband!  I'm hoping a wave of creativity will come over me in the next day or so, so I can get my shopping done started.

I am looking forward to getting to spend some time with family over the holiday.  Unfortunately, our plans to possibly trek out to the mountains fell through but that's okay because we'll get to see our two favorite Colorado residents while they're in Mulvane.  After a day or two at the in-laws we are going to spend some quality time with my family.  It will be nice to not have to travel as much this year (and hopefully we won't be driving through post-blizzard conditions like we did last year!). 

Wish me luck on my Christmas present shopping, this could be interesting :).

Baby it's cold outside....

Ahhh....it's that time of year again!!!  I'm one of "those" people with a freakish love of Christmas.  When I was growing up I had my own little tree for my room that I could decorate and every year I would have that tree in my room, along with lights that I hung from the ceiling all the way around my room. 

Last year in our tiny 900 sq. foot house I had 3 (yes...3) trees; the big tree in the dining room, the medium tree in the front room so Kyle could hang his hunting decorations and a little fiber optic tree in the kitchen.  I resisted the urge to hang lights around the outside of the house (Kyle isn't going to be so lucky this year, though I'm going to ease into it, one strand along the front).

This year I have cut back to two trees instead of three.  I have found other ways though to "enhance" our holiday spirit.  This involved two trips to Michaels and one to Hobby Lobby to hunt for more holiday decorations (as if I didn't already have enough).  I found some cute red and green blocks that spell out JOY and NOEL.  I also got some country-esque garland (I wouldn't want to distract from the hunting theme in our living room) to put on top of the entertainment center.  I also broke down and bought some new decorations for the tree.  I reasoned that after 5 years of decorating the tree the same way it was time for a change, though I didn't go crazy.  All of the new decorations for the tree only cost us $6, so I would say I got a pretty good deal (thank you Michael's!).

Usually along with decorating I get pretty excited to go Christmas shopping to buy present for friends and family.  One of my favorite things is seeing them get excited about the gifts that I/we give them.  For some reason this year I am having a really hard time getting motivated to get my shopping done.  I think part of it has something to do with not wanting to spend the money this year (lame, I know).  The other part I think is not wanting to have to deal with the mall...and crowds....and lines.  Maybe this is the year I should venture into the world of online shopping.  I need to figure it out soon though, because Christmas will be here before we know it!

In the mean time I will continue to listen to my Christmas music on Pandora (Kenny G, I heart you), enjoy the Christmas decorations and try to motivate myself to get my Christmas shopping done!