Pretty Photos from Around the World

Last week we visited Disney World. That place is absolutely packed with the greatest little details. Everything from the sidewalk to the trees were thought about in some way. The architect in me loves every little bit of it.

All around Disney World I noticed endless amounts of beautiful flowers in bloom, and we even came across a lovely little rose garden near the castle. I'm guessing the rose garden is one of those places that gets very little attention from excited vacationers. Most children don't think of stopping to literally smell the roses, especially while they have Mickey Mouse on the brain. We really enjoyed the relief from the crowds that garden offered. It was a much needed peaceful spot in an otherwise bustling location.

I suppose knowing you can come back again soon, and having a few decades behind you, puts you in a more observant frame of mind at times. Having a nice camera around your neck doesn't hurt either. Looking around for the perfect angle, frame, or background is like an exciting treasure hunt. One that yields preserved memories to be saved for eternity. If I ever lose the digital file or photograph itself, I think some of these shots will be burned into my memory anyways.

Disney World has so much to offer aside from the rides, characters, and food. Looking around may result in sensory overload. You just have to take your time, slow down, and remember to stop and smell the roses.

Another Birthday & Finding the Humor

Turning another year older just isn't the same as it was when you were 5 years old. For starters, I didn't have a rocking horse cake this year. I'm now into ice cream cakes, and my husband knows how much I love ice cream. If there's one thing I know one thing for sure after all these years, I will never be too old for ice cream cakes. It can also never be too cold for ice cream.

Obviously gifts are nice, but all I wanted to do for my birthday (besides eat ice cream cake) was spend the day at Fort Desoto Beach. We enjoyed balmy 80 degree weather on my birthday, so it was perfect for a day at the beach. The day consisted of reading under our umbrella and scouring the beach for seashells and sand dollars. We surprisingly found a handful of whole sand dollars. That was a lovely birthday gift from mother nature.

{ you can read this previous blog post about why Fort Desoto is my favorite beach } 

It's funny thinking back to when I was 5 years old. All I wanted to do was play dress up with my friends for my birthday, and now now I'm content reading books on a beach with my husband. I also used to think it was fun having restaurant waitstaff at La Senorita sing to me while I blew out the candle on my free dessert, but now it sort of makes me cringe to think of having restaurant waitstaff sing to me in public. One thing is for sure, adding another year to your age was much more exciting back then.

Since I just seem to keep getting older, I'm trying to see the humor in finding white hairs on my head before the age of thirty. Yes I just said that. This girl is already getting white hair. My husband so very optimistically calls them: very blond hairs. I'll go with that. (Who knows. Maybe they're just caused by stress? Maybe?) Nothing like premature aging. Apparently someone thought it would be funny to give me white hair for my birthday. Thanks for that God. ;)

{ I am a water girl at heart }

Getting Snail Mail Makes Me Happy

I love getting things via snail mail!

Not to be confused with getting snails in the mail.

That might get smelly.

Yesterday I mentioned that one of my favorite blog friends
did something very thoughtful for me.

It was incredibly touching
to know that someone who I've not even met yet, outside of blogging,
took some time out of their busy day to think of me.

Let me explain.


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A couple of days ago, there was a parcel notice in our mailbox.

We drove over to the apartment complex office,
and my husband went inside to claim the mystery parcel.

My husband told me that the package was for him,
until I could pry it from his fingers.
That trickster!

Imagine my excitement when I saw my name on the box
and a familiar name in the return address label!

My very sweet blog friend, Alisha, had put together a
package of goodies assembled just for me.

Inside the mystery package, Alisha included a hand-written note
explaining her thought process behind each item.

She had read in one of my previous blog posts how much I love collecting shells,
so she collected a few from a beach in Texas and sent them my way.
I absolutely love them!

She also included a Christmas ornament for our first Florida Christmas.
It very appropriately reads "Merry Christmas Y'all" seeing how she's from Texas.
The even more perfect part is how Alisha remembered reading in a blog comment
that I love the word "y'all". I really wish it sounded natural when I said that word.

Apparently I had a pretty sweet Texan accent when I was three. Ask my parents.
We only lived in Texas until I was three years old, but I still want to use the word y'all.

She also included some other items.... including Sour Patch Kids.
Those were opened immediately after opening the included letter.

At times I really can't stand the Internet and social media.
I even recently deleted my Facebook account.

Obviously social media and blogging isn't all bad.
Especially when you get more snail mail because of it.

Thank you Alisha for your thoughtfulness and gifts!
If you haven't met this sweet girl yet, go visit her blog and get to know her.

Go on now:
{ Alisha and Brandon }

Blessing in Barbecue (Disguise)

We had an amazing thing happen a few nights ago. We ate at a local barbecue restaurant. (No that wasn't the amazing thing. Eating barbecue isn't exactly an amazing thing in itself.) Upon arriving at the Ozona Pig, multiple strangers showed us kindness all in the span of a few minutes. That may not seem like a big deal, but we were truly touched by the people we met at the Ozona Pig barbecue restaurant located not too far from our place.

I visited their website after my husband and I shared a delicious meal, and it was no surprise to find that their website advertises a "focus on quality [that] is rooted in our own family tradition and our commitment to our customers." The owners spent time living in Memphis (which is notorious for its incredible barbecue) and are now 'retired' in Ozona. Running a barbecue restaurant seems like a pretty great retirement to me.

Upon arriving at the Ozona Pig, we found that every table was full. We opted to wait for a table at the bar. The bartender, Bobbie, immediately introduced herself as the owner and then pointed out her husband at the end of the bar. She asked us if we had had visited the restaurant before, because she thought we looked familiar. We mentioned that we had not eaten there but had a beer outside and listened to music once. She welcomed us and gave us a little history about the restaurant and food.

Sitting at the bar almost felt like being in a scene from the bar Cheers (you know... where everybody knows your name...) The man sitting to our right was an obvious regular, and we struck up a conversation with him as well. In the short time we sat next to him, we learned his name and brief history in the service. We also learned that he loves to golf and obviously loves to eat at the Ozona Pig as well. He ordered an abundance of food to-go, because, as he seriously informed us, 'The Pig' is closed on Sundays for dinner. Bobbie sent him home with plenty of food to get him and his visitors through the rest of the weekend. Upon leaving, he informed us that we must eat the banana pudding.

Since this was our first time at the Ozona Pig, we ordered a platter featuring a little bit of almost everything on the menu. The pulled pork was delicious, the brisket tender, and the chicken fell right off of the bone. We smothered our ribs in their homemade sauces and rib rub. Not to mention, we also enjoyed every single bite of the garlic toast, baked beans, and mashed potatoes that accompanied the meal. Bobbie asked us if we had saved any room for the banana pudding, and we regretted informing her that we were stuffed. I guess there are worse problems to have than a stuffed belly. We actually even had to take some of our food home to eat at a later time.

Bobbie thanked us for stopping by the Ozona Pig, and she told us to come back again soon. Of course we thanked her for everything and told her we would indeed be back again soon.

We ate our leftovers the next evening and found a small Styrofoam container full of banana pudding. Bobbie had snuck some pudding into our to-go bag. It was a pleasant surprise, and we enjoyed every blissful bite of it. I think that all food tastes better with a little love behind it.

Do not underestimate the power you have to positively affect another life. A little kindness really does go a long way. Eating at the Ozona Pig, and making a couple of friends along the way, was exactly what my husband and I both needed at that time. We felt welcomed from the second we walked through the door, and we will certainly be back time and time again.

Happy Friday, Some Photos, and a Song

It's really been one of those weeks. Just thinking about it all makes me feel exhausted, and I'm really not that old (yet...). Sometimes I think that I don't have the right to be so exhausted, but more than anything I am mentally exhausted. Can I at least have that? While finishing moving everything out of our old apartment, I did multiple trips up and down the stairs by myself, and I am still more mentally tired than physically. Good thing I have decent health or I would be a train wreck here. I cannot even begin to imagine* how things would be if I was physically and mentally exhausted.

*(Oh wait, yes I can. I had a little meltdown earlier this week, but I think everything is good now.)

That being said, I don't have much mental capacity to get all philosophical on you now, so I am just going to share a few pictures that I took around my family's house. My hope is that these photos induce peace in a hectic day.

Happy Friday!

I also wanted to share this great song for a peaceful Friday.
Enjoy (:

Simple Pleasures at Chick-fil-A

I always remind myself that life can often use some excitement brought about by the little things. Just last week, I found myself very excited over something that most people might find silly or trivial. However, it was the first time I had seen anything like this before, and I could not contain my excitement.

Chick-fil-A's food was not the only thing that had me excited. Although the food alone is sort of special, because we don't eat it very often. It's always a welcome treat when we're taking a little road trip and want some delicious fast food. (Did I seriously just use 'delicious' and 'fast food' in the same sentence?!) I normally don't like fast food, but Chick-fil-A is some pretty tasty stuff. I think it might even be real chicken. How can you not love the chicken sandwiches?! You can't pay me to eat a 'burger' from McDonald's. Sick! My life changed the day I experienced my first sandwich from Chick-fil-A, and that was not very long ago. I resisted for a while, because I had not idea it would taste so good for fast food. I digress, so the reason that I was really excited about our meal was actually the awesome little ketchup packets that I found at the bottom of our paper bag!

I mean, how did these little buggers not come into my life sooner? When I was a kid, I used to eat ketchup on almost everything. Once my dad got made at me for putting to much ketchup on my plate when we were eating fish sticks, so just to prove a point, I ate every last drop of it and even licked my plate. Needless to say, he didn't say much after that. Ketchup consumption ensued like it was my job. I probably just loved the colorful condiment because it is full of sugar, and I did not like very many foods that did not taste like sugar. That's probably why I covered most things with ketchup. Ha! Either way, do you have any idea how messy it sometimes is to squeeze ketchup onto fries from those flimsy little packets at most fast food joints? Especially while you're riding in a car. Imagine my amazement to find these cute little ketchup-bottle-shaped packets. Hungry ketchup lovers have the option to dip or squeeze! Plus... this is America, we're all about choices. For real. This little revolutionary ketchup packet made my day. Just so you know I chose to squeeze, and it was a ton of fun.

Sometimes it does not take much to brighten my day. Who would have thought that it was going to be ketchup that would put a smile on my face on that memorable visit to Chick-fil-A?

Have you seen these amazing little dip & squeeze ketchups yet?

Hotel Toiletry Hoarding

I have a confession. I'm a hoarder. Don't worry though. We don't live in a rodent infested pig sty or anything like that. My favorite kind of hoarding is much more hygienic than that. I hoard hotel toiletries. At least we're clean around here! Over many years I've collected miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Even though I have enough to last for quite some time, I can't stop collecting those cute little bottles. I can't stop!

all the goods

When we travel, I fill travel-sized bottles with my own products from home so that I can bring home the hotel toiletries. You ask, "Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of the hotel provided toiletries?" Yeah. Pretty much. I use my own products while away from home, but I get to bring home these little gems. The only hotel that beat me at my own game was the Sheraton in Punta Gorda. They use toiletry dispensers in their showers, and those bad boys are attached to the wall. There's no taking their shampoo. I suppose they're sticking it to people like me. Ha!

I've scored some pretty nice products over the years. I have mini products by Crabtree & Evelyn, Gilchrist & Soames, Aveda, and some from the Ritz Carlton Battery Park. A part of me loves keeping the toiletries as a little reminder of our travels. It's fun to relive a good vacation by using the delicious smelling shampoo years later.

I'm growing quite the collection of hotel toiletries. Not all hoarding is bad, right?

If you're ever a guest at our place, maybe you'll get to take some of these bottles home with you. I promise I'll share these some day. Unless we can no longer afford shampoo or conditioner. Then I may them all to myself. Until then, I'm going to continue 'hoarding' and hope to share them some day. Now who wants to come and stay with us?

What is your item of choice when it comes to hoarding?

If You Read This

I just wanted to thank everyone who reads my blog, follows it, or comments on my blog posts. Recently I have gained new followers and am really grateful for each and every one of you. Old and new... I appreciate all of my readers. (:

I do my best to respond to each and every comment that I receive, and I might miss one once in a while but that does not mean that I don't appreciate what you have to say... because I do! If you have any questions for me, please feel free to contact me. My email is located on my blogger profile. I love hearing from you all.

Thank you, thank you!

Happy Friday.  (:

Downtown Denver

I wanted to share a few pictures that I took in downtown Denver earlier this week. When I take the time to look around, I almost always notice something new that I had not seen before. I love it when that happens! (:

skyscrapers in Denver

all lined up for a picture... how nice

great reflections in the Sheraton windows

Peet's Coffee & Tea off of the Sheraton lobby

... love the colors... and Odwalla is great too!

*click* on this image to link to my photo blog!


Happy Friday  (:

Books on Deck

There is no denying it. I love to read! Some day my husband and I will be living in the house of our dreams, and it will have a comfortable and inviting library full of books of all kind. That being said, I wanted to share with you some of the books that I have lined up for reading after I finish these darn Harry Potter (HP) books. (I totally got hooked and am reading the 6th of 7 HP books right now).

 For now this small bookshelf of books will do :)

The Happiness Project:
I got this book a while ago, and then I got sidetracked reading other books. Still have not read this, but I am really looking forward to it! Anything 'happy' is good with me.

The Glass Castle:

This memoir sounds really interesting, and I am really looking forward to this one. My husband gave this to me on my birthday. You can never go wrong with giving me a book as a gift.

The Piano Tuner:
One of my good friends gave this to me as a birthday gift, and her note said that since I love to travel that she thinks I'll love this book. Since she has good taste in books, I trust her on this one.

* you can click on the pictures of the books and it will link you to the book on Amazon *

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Have you read any of these books, and if so what did you think? (just don't give anything away)  (:

Start With Yourself

This is probably not the most focused blog I've ever written, but I'm sharing it anyways. I have a lot running through my mind at the moment... so that's probably how this blog is going to 'sound'. Bear with me.

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After watching the State of the Union (let's call it the SU for short) address this week, I couldn't help but feel at least a little hopeful at a few of the things that Obama said. I'm not one to get really involved in politics, because, quite honestly, I find the division of people into two very different groupings (Repubs vs. Dems) to be incredibly discouraging. However, there were glimmers of good (like there are in pretty much everything) in some of the things that our president spoke of in his speech. I hope maybe you picked up on something that sounded good to you too!

In the SU address, I heard a common thread of holding ourselves accountable. (Or am I crazy? Did anyone else hear that?) He talked about how parents have to do their jobs in order for teachers to better be able to do their jobs, and he also mentioned some incredibly amazing people and what they have done to stay relevant, and even thrive, in this turbulent (hey, there's an aviation reference) economy. Honestly, some of what he said in the SU made me want to be a better person. (Not that I didn't want to be a good person before, but this served as a reminder) I think that if everyone tried to be a little bit better at something that it would make a huge impact on the world. (maybe I'm crazy optimistic, but I like it that way!) I feel like in order to make a difference, I need to start with myself. Honestly if you aren't happy with yourself... why would you be happy with anyone or anything else?! Instead of complaining about what politicians are doing wrong (I mean hey they're human too... aka not perfect), I hope to see what is going right instead. We really are accountable for our own happiness and success in life. When we get it ourselves, then we can share it with others.

I really hope to do my best to give to this world. Whether it be to give my gifts (which I'm working on figuring out), my time, anything really. The SU address really shook me up a bit, and it made me realize that I have this life to live... and if I don't live it, then it's my fault. It's not the governments fault... or my parents fault... or my friends fault. Hold yourself accountable to be the best person that you can, and don't let anyone tell you differently. If I know anything, it's that happiness is super important... and it starts here.

I love this quote!

... it also scares me.

What Inspires You?

Today I feel that it's necessary to think about things that inspire me, because I could use a bit of a boost.

So here goes:

LOVE

It's amazingly inspiring to feel loved. The kind of love that is unconditional and makes you want to be a better person kind of love. I believe that everyone deserves to be loved like that. So to me, love in one of the most inspiring things out there. Love someone today!

I love this quote from Moulin Rouge, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

THOUGHTFUL INTERIORS

source: Traditional Home

There's something about an interior that is creative and comfortable that makes me a little weak in the knees. I love walking into a space and it makes me feel 'at home' immediately. When an interior makes me feel safe and comfortable, while letting my mind relax at the same time, I just want to stay there forever! There's something special about an interior that has spaces for everyone to gather yet also has spaces for people to get away and relax. When I was younger, I always imagined my dream house with little hideaways and all my favorite things. Thoughtful interiors that reflect your life and the way you live are inspiring to me!

FOREIGN DESTINATIONS

Cinque Terre, Italy

Read this previous blog about why I love to travel, and you'll get a little understanding for why I am inspired by visiting new places. I also think you can consider almost anywhere that you've never been before a foreign destination, but the language barrier does help with seeing something differently for the first time. I find inspiration in places that I've never been before, because it takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to learn something new... and that to me is inspiring.

KIND PEOPLE

This might seem like a strange picture to represent 'kind people', because it's just an image of mine and Nate's shoes. This picture reminded me of the older couple who shared a bench with us on the Naples's pier during our honeymoon. We were all waiting for the sun to set, and the older man next to us started talking to Nate about how long him and his wife had been married and talked a little about their family. The fact that he was a stranger yet oozed love and interest about his life and family was amazing. It made us both look forward to just growing older together and sharing this life. So for that... kind people inspire me, because sometimes it's the smallest things that strangers do that can make the biggest impact!

THE BEACH

I find the beach incredible, because it's this amazing place where human inhabited land meets uninhabitable water (at least to humans... unless you're on a ship). It's a little bit of mystery and unknown meets real life on land. The sounds and sights at the beach are soothing, and I could spend all day just silent but watching the water and animals that live near the sea. The beach and everything about it inspire me.

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I think that I could now go on and on with things that inspire me, and the great thing is that I know these things surround me every day. Some days I fail to see inspiration, but it's not for lack of inspiring things in life... sometimes I just forget to open my eyes to it.

The Little Things

Yesterday while we walked around the University of Denver campus, Nate spotted a little bird's nest. Height worked to his advantage in spotting the nest, because it was above my head and I was not looking for anything small up there. Glad that he noticed it though, because obviously I had to take some pictures of it... which proved slightly difficult since it was almost higher than I could reach.

After standing on tip toes with arms over my head, I nabbed this picture of the little nest up close. Wonder if it had been abandoned? The nest looked like someone, or something, had left in a hurry. Either way, I'm glad that Nate spotted it and that I could snap a picture of it to share with you.

It's not only people that enjoy the protection of a well-designed shelter. Birds love a safe place to raise a family too! Smart birds if you ask me. The creator of that nest definitely chose a lovely place to call its home. I'm sure it was more out of necessity than for the sheer joy of living next to a college campus, but I like it anyway! :)

If you don't slow down and take a minute to breath and observe, you just might miss the little things.

Perspective

²per·spec·tive:


a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed perspective>;also : point of view
b : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance perspective>

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I love photography.

I've been slowly learning on my own how to use the fancy pants cameras of today. They confuse me, but boy do they do amazing things when you get it right!

Picking up a camera and peering through a lens gives you a much different perspective of the world. For a moment, you forget about your eyes... and the camera lens becomes your porthole to the world out there. I love positioning myself in just the right place in order to get the perspective I was looking for at that time. If you stand just a little more to the right, the picture fills the frame. If you move a little bit to the left, you'll get more of the big picture and people will better understand the context. I find it amazing how putting yourself in just the right place changes the perspective drastically. Such small movements result in such big changes.

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Detroit Metropolitan Airport

(it's amazing how 

2 steps forward 

changes the perspective)

My architecture education definitely gets put to good use when I look through the lens of a camera. I didn't learn to think about spatial quality for nothing.

Everyone has the opportunity to change their perspective of things. If you don't like what you see... change the way you look at it. Move around a little bit, and find the perspective that gives you the picture that you seek.

Vision

This life's dim windows of the soul. Distorts the heavens from pole to pole. And leads you to believe a lie when you see with, not through, the eye.  -William Blake

( I believe this is a William Blake quote, but when I google searched this quote it seemed that people were crediting it to many different people. If you know this to be different, please let me know. )

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I stumbled upon this quote a while ago, and I'm just now getting around to posting it. The above quote definitely had me thinking about life... but really what hasn't been making me think about life lately?! Some people say I have too much time on my hands, but I think that I'm just learning and growing a bit.

Those who are blind have no eye to see with... but they can still 'see' the world around them. They might have to use other senses in order to see it though. Do they see the world the same way that us with eye sight do? Could you say that their vision might be better than someone with eye sight?

The eyes can deceive. Don't believe everything they see.

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Bellinzona, Switzerland

Castlegrande

Berlin, Germany

Memorial for murdered Jews

Cinque Terre, Italy

hike between the villages

Simple is not Easy

Life is not easy. I hate to say that, but it is true. There are struggles, pain, hurt... etc. Life also holds love, joy, excitement, and fun. Up and downs are part of life, and that's the way it is. It's amazing how simple it seems to accept that fact, but it's not always easy to do so.

I don't think of myself as a downer for saying that life is not easy. I actually am learning again to be quite the opposite. My attempts at finding and looking for good typically do end in finding what I thought was there all along... some searches for good might be tougher than some... but it's pretty much always there. Making the choice to look for good is typically all that it takes to find some. It may seem like such a simple choice, but it's not always easy to do. So many times people feel knocked down in life, and you begin a dangerous cycle of seeing bad and finding bad in life. I strongly believe that there is good in everyone... some just might be harder to find than others, and sometimes it may seem near impossible to find it. Just remember that it's there. I have recently experienced a few let downs from friends and people that I care about, but I cannot let those mishaps make me forget that life is good! Simple... but not easy.

There are so many things in life that are simple but not easy at times: loving unconditionally, caring, thinking for yourself, not judging others, seeing good in people, and the list continues. I would love to get to a point in life where many, or all, of these things come to me easily... sort of like breathing, you don't have to think about it. I definitely know people who struggle with the above mentioned 'easy' tasks in life, and I am definitely one of them. Hey... I'm not perfect, and I have yet to meet a perfect person. We're all experiencing this journey called life, but none of us have perfected it. The best you can do it attempt to perfect it, and the second that you get close... you'll learn something new that will change the way you live. That can be a good thing! Never stop learning and growing, and don't forget... Simple is not easy. If it's easy, you're probably not doing it right. ;)

Happiest Place on Earth

You thought I was going to say 'Disney World' didn't you?

Well... I'm. Although I won't argue with the fact that Disney is probably 'the happiest place on earth' when it comes to theme parks for families. However, the happiest place that I'm talking about this time is New Belgium Brewery (NBB) in Ft. Collins, Colorado. It's become a tradition for me to visit there around the holidays... and I have been quite a few times now. Every time I go it's always exciting and new.

How is NBB the happiest place on earth you might ask? I just have to answer that question with an upbeat, "How is it not?" The pictures and descriptions below help answer that question as well.

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The exterior is rather inviting if you ask me...

"The Beer Inside is Delightful"

Inspired Decorations

... made from beer labels and 6 pack boxes.

Fun for all

 ... be careful how many beers you drink

How many work places do you know of...

 ... that have a slide just for fun?!

And of course I can't forget the beer.

 It's the reason for all of this...

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The story of New Belgium is great. Their Fat Tire beer is sort of what started it all. It was the first beer brewed by NBB, and it most definitely put them on the map. Check out the story of NBB here

I challenge you to find a happier place... sort of. No seriously... just go and try it for yourself. Ft. Collins, Colorado! You'll see all of the smiling faces and never want to leave. (At least that's how I felt...) Happy happy joy joy!

Christmas Favorites: Decorations & Wrapping

I love the holidays. More importantly though, I love holiday decorations! I obviously also love design (seriously my architecture degree isn't just going to waste) and inspired interiors. Combining my love for holiday decorations and making things by hand, this year I decided to DIY some decorations for our dining area. I couldn't really help myself.

So with a few things I bought, a lot of things we already owned, and a whole lot of silver spray paint and rocks from outside, we have ourselves a nice little Winter Wonderland inside our apartment. Our white porcelain snowflake candle holders glow so much brighter with white lights in them instead of candles. I think I love them! Can I get away with keeping it up all year? If not, we'll surely enjoy this until the New Year. :)

Again this might sound weird to some, but I also enjoy wrapping gifts. To me it's another way of expressing my artistic and creative side. I usually never ever use just one color of ribbon on a gift, and choosing which paper to use on a gift is like figuring out which outfit to put on each day. Seriously. During my high school years, I used to lay out my clothes the night before, or else I would have stood in front of my closet for hours trying to figure out what to wear every morning. Gift wrapping takes about that much thought too.

While wrapping gifts, I have to think about who the gift is for, the scale of the pattern versus the size of the gift, I need to choose coordinated colors, and I surely have to top off the gift with a fun name tag. Wrapping is pretty serious business here. Don't laugh. I know that my husband doesn't mind... because quite honestly I think if he never had to wrap another gift he'd be okay with that. It would be all out war in this place if he loved wrapping gifts as much as I do. Thank goodness we don't have to fight over it. That would really put a damper on the holiday spirit.

Does anyone else out there like to decorate or wrap as much as I do? Honestly... I don't know if anyone out there loves to wrap like I do... I'm just saying...  ;)