Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thankful Thursday

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
-Brian Tracy
In everything give thanks.
-I Thessalonians 5:18
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, "thank you?"
-William A. Ward


1. Semi-Annual Sale. Vicky's semi-annual is HHHEEERRRREE--and their swimwear is an additional 20% off today only. Fabulous!

2. Kitty. Our cat is usually a demon.  She usually only likes C and tries to steal/eat everything.  But lately, she has been the sweetest, most loving cat.  She's been sleeping with me at night, and is currently laying in my lap like a perfect angel.   
3. Randy's Key Lime Pie. Best. Thing. Ever. I'm just thankful there is another whole pie in the freezer.
4. Spas.  Yesterday was a girl's spa day while the boys golfed, and I was treated to an aaahhhh-mazing facial and then relaxed in the spa sauna and pool for a while.  So thankful to be pampered!
5. To Be Here. Could I ask for a more wonderful place to spend NYE? I am truly blessed.
The pool and beach
Beach at sunset

6. A Wonderful Year. Overall, 2010 has been fantastic.  C and I continue to be so blessed, and we hope and pray to be as lucky in 2011. 

7. Delectable Food. C and I have been to the BEST restaurants on this vacation.  I am so thankful--but my waistline may not be!
 Dinner Tuesday night
Last night's dinner


I wanted to try something new this week and do a link-up--so link up and share what you are thankful for!
Posted by Lauren at 11:53 AM 2 comments
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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Merry Christmas (To Me, From Me, With All My Love)

I know it's a few days late, but we have been traveling.  Hope everyone had a merry Christmas! Here's our Christmas card this year (the real card goes down further and doesn't cut off pup's paws, but the image was too big to fit into one screen shot): 

C and my big gifts this year to each other were the kitchen remodel and the office furniture.  Once I sit down long enough to take pictures of the office furniture (which I absolutely love), I promise I will post them.

In the mean time, let me introduce you to my Christmas gift to myself: Cole Haan's Village Hobo (but in red leather). It is the perfect size for work: it easily fits a laptop and a few files and would work with any color suit. It's definitely to me, from me, with all my love.

 
And while I am at it, here's C's gift to himself:Bruno Magli loafers. Sometimes, I think it is a blessing to have a clearly metro husband who has great fashion taste because he appreciates and understands nice things, but the price  tag that accompanies both of us wanting these items is definitely a curse.
What did everyone get for Christmas this year? 
Posted by Lauren at 2:24 PM 7 comments
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Friday, December 24, 2010

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Merry Christmas Eve!  Here's some shots from our Christmas thus far:
Hubby and our festive pup. 
 
Cam and I helping our nephew Brady open up his gift from us. 
 
Cam's sweet nephew, Noah, on his truck.
 Cam and Drew's framed jerseys.
 Cam's brother, Drew, and his girlfriend's big gift from his mom: A trip for two to Dublin, Ireland for Saint Patty's Day--what an awesome present and trip!

Some of my favorite ornaments from our tree: 
 A Christmas Sebastian that Cam and I both had as a child.
 A vizsla ornament.
 What else but UK?
Cam got me this bugler last year because it reminds us of the bugler at our wedding.
My "baby first" Christmas ornament.  I was supposed to be born Dec. 18, so my grandmother got this ornament for me.  I wasn't actually born until Jan. 10, and it having the wrong year makes me laugh every time
 My nephews made me this ornament a few years ago--so cute.
 Surfing Santa.
 Kentucky ornament....love it.
 The first ornament Cam and I bought 6 Christmases ago--a Russian Santa.
 A too adorable engagement ornament. 



Posted by Lauren at 11:48 AM 3 comments
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Baker's Dozen

Finals are over! Best part: I lived (here's to hoping I can say the same for my GPA). 

To celebrate and get myself into the holiday spirit, Cam's mom and I  listened to pandora's Christmas Rock station and made Christmas cookies yesterday.  And not just a few cookies; we spent over 9 hours making a variety of enough cookies to fill several tins and tupperwares.  It was really fun because my family is German and his mother's family is Russian so we had very different family recipes.  We made (all images thanks to Google--I was too messy to take any pictures yesterday):
 
Linzer Cookies (with raspberry filing)
Chocolate drops--be jealous sissy :)
We each made our family's versions of sugar cookies.  Mine are more  the style at a German bakery with a flour base and a very sweet icing to drizzle over the whole cookie, and his mom's are more of a traditional sugar cookie with decorative icing.
Gingerbread men
Russian Tea Cakes (they taste like Mexican wedding cakes with chopped roasted pecans and walnuts--delicious!)

I'm excited to finally have some time to catch up on everyone's life!
Posted by Lauren at 8:23 AM 4 comments
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

We've decked the halls, trimmed the tree, and tied every ribbon and bow.  I just love this time of year!  
I'm ready to get full swing into the holiday spirit--just criminal procedure left to go! Friday afternoon can't get here soon enough. So, keep your fingers and toes crossed and the prayers coming for me.  


Hope y'all stay safe in this crazy weather tonight!
Posted by Lauren at 11:13 PM 3 comments
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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Ten on Tuesday: 1 down, 2 to go

Took my first final this morning.  I felt good about it walking out, but then when I started comparing notes with others I felt a little worse.  Ugh, sometimes I should just go straight home and keep having a great day instead of lingering. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. My next final isn't until next week (they are really spaced out this semester, thank goodness), so I am taking the afternoon off, catching up on Dexter, and filling out Christmas cards.


Cam has his big presentation (in lieu of his final) for one of his MBA classes tonight, so keep your fingers crossed for him!

Here's a quick ten on Tuesday: 


Ten Things to Accomplish over Christmas Break. 

1) Spend one day with Cam without any computers, cell phones, or TV.  This sounds like my idea of heaven right now. Even better if it involves the beach.


2) Bake Christmas cookies.  Definitely must use my family recipes: flour cookies with icing and chocolate drop cookies.  I'm absolutely ready to bake again: it may even turn into chocolate pies by the end of it...


3) Draft my independent study paper.  This not only would make my semester easier in the spring, but there is a competition for these papers, so if I can turn it in by mid January, I'd be entered to win money--not that I'll win, but it is good motivation. 

4) Catch up in reading.  In my idea that heaven, I'm holding a good book.  I'm so ready to be curled up with something not law related. A few books on my list (for book club):

5) Paint. I'm planning on painting the under the chair rail in the dining room and the shelves and trim in the living room.  And I am excited beyond words for this because I've been wanting to do this for a while! 
 Hopefully not like this...


6) Shop! Need I even explain this one? We are going to the outlets and I am ready. 


7) Sleep. Finals are exhausting, and I'm ready to sleep in. 

8) Watch some good UK basketball. There's always tomorrow's game, right? Here's to hoping they learn from these losses (so there aren't any more). 

9) Catch up with the girls.  I'm ready (with a good bottle of wine in hand) for my out of town girlfriends to be home visiting family over the break. 
 Some of us piled into a wedding photobooth recently. 

 Some of us at prom our senior year. It's sad that I look the exact same.  And yes, Kristin and I are holding hands. That's clearly what BFFs on prom do...


10) Christmas! This is definitely a last but not least. I'm ready to get into the holiday spirit, dance around to Christmas songs, drive around and look at lights, and eat tons of good food.  Yum! But, i am sad I'm missing out on the family girl's trip to NYC (yet another reason I'm bitter towards finals...)
Posted by Lauren at 6:03 PM 6 comments
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Friday, December 3, 2010

Friday Confessions: Finals

Finals is probably the only time when I'm not thanking God its Friday, haha! So, here are some confessions, finals style. 

1. During finals I almost never get dressed for the day unless I have to go out in public. Even then, it's pretty thrown together.  I sit around in my PJs all day for these two weeks. 

2. I am cleaner during finals than any other time of my life.  Nothing beats stress like a bubble bath, so I often take 2-3 hour long baths a day while going over index cards and outlines. This is probably necessary because I remain covered in highlighter for these two weeks.

3. I plan my whole semester around finals.  I have taken classes merely because they have papers instead of a final, and if I'm on the fence between two classes, I'll take the one that fits in better to my finals schedule.  Basically, I plan to ensure I have the minimal amount of stress possible.  I even have planned next semester so that I only have two (as in 2) finals (which sounds AMAZING right now).

4. I honestly didn't know stress until law school.  I had been in stressful situations, but nothing like law school--not even the time I thought my house was being broken into (it was just a repairman my parents forgot to tell me about).  I had the first panic attack of my life during the spring semester of my first year, and unfortunately it was not my last.  I tend to lose about 7-12 pounds during finals from stress: I can't keep food down and I have no appetite.  Before one final, I even got sick from just brushing my teeth. I'm pathetic. 

5. Finals have brought me closer to God.  It has made me pray more and be more thankful for what He has given me.  I will admit (it is Friday Confessions, right) that one semester I sat in church and continually pleaded with God to let me survive finals. I tried to barter that if I lived through my tax exam, I would make an extra effort to go to church every week.  He answers prayers: I passed tax with flying colors and have been a regular at church since. 

6. Contrary to popular belief, third year is not easier than the first two.  Yes, first year they scare you to death, second year they work you to death, but third year is a continuation of year two.  I honestly think the only difference is by third year you stop caring as much (hence why I am blogging and not studying right now). 

7. Despite how much we (or I) complain, finals are not the most difficult questions in the world, its just a lot of memorization.  Yes, there is a lot of pressure on the us because they are the only grades we get for an entire class, but I've never walked into an exam and not known what the professor was asking.  The difficulty is trying to distinguish your exam answers from your classmates because it is graded on a curve. 

Well, I better go study.  First exam is Tuesday, and I'll try to post to let you all know that (if) I survived.  I heard the exam is extremely difficult (he tends to mix many concepts into one question with convoluted facts), so keep your fingers crossed and say some prayers please.  At least this time in two weeks, I'll be all done!

Hope you all have better weekend plans than I do!
Posted by Lauren at 3:53 PM 2 comments
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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thankful Thursday

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
-Brian Tracy
In everything give thanks.
-I Thessalonians 5:18
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, "thank you?"
-William A. Ward

Okay guys, I'll admit, this week's thanks are a tad bit rushed (aka, I don't have time to find cute graphics).  I am still finishing up outlines I have to memorize before my tests--which begin NEXT WEEK. I know, I know, law school is the excuse of my life.

1. Last Week of Classes for the Semester. This is terrifying and yet relieving all at the same time. I'll be thankful for it as long as I can kick my butt into gear to start studying. 

2. Doctors. Cam is sick, and I am very thankful the doctor was able to see him immediately and get him started on medicine so he can start feeling better. 

3. Giveaways. I just found out I won $250 at a law school giveaway.  YAY! 

4. Pre-Made Meals. Cam's mom made me a bulk supply of vegetarian chili and I am making twice baked potatoes to freeze for the week. I love having delicious meals on hand that I can just heat up or bake. 


5. Chocolate Covered Raisins.  We bought the bulk-sized thing of them, and they are already halfway gone.  Delicious and you don't feel too bad because they're raisins, right?


6. Supplements. Seriously, I don't know how I would get through some classes without having a professional book summarizing the law for me. 

7. UK Basketball. I know, we lost the invitational. But seriously, if we are going to lose, I'd rather it be earlier in the season so that won't get too cocky and that they can learn from their mistakes. I'm thankful that they lost now, so hopefully they will remain humble enough to get better. 

8. Facebook.  It can be the source of serious procrastination and stalking, but as more of my family joins, I'm finding myself feeling more connected with the family that is further away through their pictures and status updates.  


9. A Beautiful Fall. It has been a gorgeous fall with wonderful weather. In Kentucky, it can go from 70 degrees to snow in October and sometimes I feel like I don't have much of real fall. But, this season we have had many days in the 50-60s and just this week it became cold around here, and I am thankful for the great weather we have had. 

10. Nerves--or lack of.  I usually am a complete hot-mess around finals. I have had panic attacks, no appetite, and general stress.  This semester (knock on wood), I have been so lucky that this anxiety hasn't hit (yet). Praise you God for not putting me through those awful emotions!

What are you all thankful for today?

Posted by Lauren at 1:49 PM 2 comments
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Monday, November 29, 2010

Holiday Gift Ideas

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I've been outlining and studying away, but--story of my life--I didn't get as much done over the break as I wanted.  Oh well, I spent time with family, so it was worth it. Once  I catch my breath from all this studying, I promise I'll get back to more regular posting.


For now, I just wanted to do a quick post and share a few holiday gift ideas/deals with everyone.


First is an awesome deal from one of my favorite stores: Brookstone. Not only do they have unique gifts and enough gadgets that you can always find gifts for men who have everything, they have tons of christmas decor items to deck the halls for the holidays. 


Personally, I'm loving: 
Cordless LED 2 Foot Pre-Lit Walkway Christmas Tree (I'm thinking these would be perfect in our porch urns)


Tranquil Moments Sleep Sound Therapy (I would love to go to sleep to the sound of a thunderstorm or ocean every night)

 Heated Jackets (I can't think of a more ideal invention for the chilly fall/winter football games)
 
Once you find the perfect gift(s), you can save $10 on any online purchase of $70 or more. Just put in the discount code: 22SAVE.  You're welcome :)


The second gift idea is the online auction that Lexington Habitat for Humanity is holding, with all profits going to benefit local home builds.  The auction is called Bids for Builds and we collected various donations from around the community.  Many of the items are activities--such as private wine tastings for up to 20; a flight lesson with Officer Don; having Thai Orchard's chef cook a meal for 6 at your home; a private tour of Darley horse farm and then tickets to Keeneland; a bourbon barrel and a behind the scene tour of Woodford; UK basketball weekend: tickets, a dinner out, and a hotel room downtown; gym memberships; creating and naming a sandwich at 6 Friend's Cafe; and various gift certificates around town. Please check it out if you haven't already!  I can't say enough good things about Lexington's Habitat chapter and this is a great way knock out your christmas shopping list while supporting such an awesome charity.
Posted by Lauren at 1:54 PM 5 comments
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Obligatory Finals Warning

As always with this time of year, I'm going to go ahead and apologize that I will be bad about blogging. I will try to catch up when I can, but no promises.  I feel so behind right now with finals being in only two weeks and I am still the beginning of September with some of my outlines.  I'm working into overtime on prep work so I can try to actually avoid the panic attacks that always come around Thanksgiving.  

I wish the weeks would slow down so I could get more done.  I feel like every time I look up, its almost Thursday and another week has passed by that I didn't get as much done as I wished.

At least this is the LAST YEAR that finals can invade on my Thanksgiving/Christmas celebrations, AND I will be done with finals in exactly one month from today.  Small victories, right? 
Posted by Lauren at 11:32 AM 3 comments
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Ten on Tuesday: Random Things about Me

1. My least favorite chore is folding shirts.  I don't mind vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping up, or doing any other laundry, but I absolutely hate to fold shirts.

2. I confess, I used my straightener this week to get a wrinkle out of my shirt instead of pulling out the ironing board. 
3. I became a vegetarian when I was 4. My sister, Ang, told me I was eating Disney characters (Sebastian, Bambi, Flounder, Babe, etc) and I swore to never eat meat again.  20 years later, I still haven't had any meat since. 

 4. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Switzerland, hands down.  It is so beautiful, they speak German, the people are wonderful, its a train ride to anywhere in Europe, and it has the world's best cheeses and beers. 
 Picture I took from our friend's porch in the alps during the summer. Who wouldn't want to live here?
Cam at the top of the Santis throwing a snowball in shorts on the Fourth of July. I forgot how shaggy his hair was then...

5. I played the flute, saxophone, and piano until I was about 16. 

7. Prince William being engaged just killed my fourteen year dream.  I thought he'd get over the fact I'm an American Catholic that lives across the world and would fall in love with me.  Fail William, fail.  I do think Kate is cute (and i am married), so it's going to have to be okay. 
 


8. I really want to go skydiving once my life, and preferably in the next few years.  I am pretty sure I'll pee my pants until my parachute opens, but I think it will be worth it.


9. I just switched my toe polish from the summery "Cajun Shrimp" to a greige.  I'm loving greige nails so much that I even painted my fingernails (which NEVER happens). I like Sephora/OPI's Under My Trench Coat: 

10. I sleep on my stomach every night.

Posted by Lauren at 2:14 PM 8 comments
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