2010 "OK" Highlights

So a quick re-cap of some "OK" highlights for 2010...

*Kate got a new job as a sales consultant for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
*We went to Utah to visit Omar's family
*Kate went to Sarah Squire's wedding in Utah
*Our first year in our house
*Omar got his 60" TV
*1/2 way out of debt
*Got our 8K tax credit (FINALLY!)
*We have a new nephew, Tage Spilsbury
*Omar went to New York for a week to visit the Osorios.

Christmas 2010

I worked Christmas Eve until 3pm and we drove straight there to Kissimmee to spend it with my family. On the way there, it was cool because we saw Santa driving a brand new yellow Porsche that even had the just bought tag on still. He must have been delivering someone's Christmas present!

Our Christmas this year was a smaller event then normal it seemed. Christmas Eve is the big day and then Sunday is usually just presents, making mom birthday breakfast (since she is a Christmas baby), going to a movie, and relaxing. However, Christmas Eve, we didn't seem to have the crowd we normally have. I guess that is what happens when people start doing their own family thing. Micah, and Aaron (and his wife and kids) didn't come this year. So it seemed so small just having Nancy, Jamie, and Stephen.

I was glad that my old MTC mission companion, Jessianne Hibbard was in town, and that she made time to stop by with her mom. They had just flown in from Utah that afternoon for Disney and Universal.

JessieAnne and I

We had the usual staples, but it wasn't as much as we usually have. It was still delicious though. We had ham, scalloped potatoes, Nancy's homemade rolls, green bean casserole, and tossed salad. This year instead of pies, we had chocolate fondue, which was a nice little change.

Our little Christmas group Christmas Eve - Michael took the picture

Christmas breakfast Kelly and I made homemade cinnamon rolls, grits, eggs, and Omar made the bacon. Later that day we saw the movie "True Grit", I never saw the original before, it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be about but was still pretty good.

After the movie, Omar and I went to visit Omar's aunt and uncle. However, they had just gotten back from Miami and his uncle was the only one around. Normally they always are cooking up a storm and there are lots of people there. So we decided we were hungryand tired of leftovers and we went to find a place to eat.

Pita Stop was where we went. Big mistake, now this is a whole in the wall place off 1-92 that every time you turn around it is a new little restaraunt. It was more middle eastern food. They had gyros and things like that...but the food looked fresh. Omar ordered some chicken wings which they had a bunch of different options and I got a gyro salad. Let's just say we did not feel good that night. We also did not sleep well that night.

All night long all we heard was people running to the bathroom to throw up. Which was weird since only Omar and I ate at Pita Stop. In the morning, Omar was in the bathroom and I was on the couch when my sister came out and ran to the kitchen sink to throw up more! Horrible! We seriously packed our bags right then and went home. The whole way home, I felt so sick and Omar pulled over a few times while I tried to throw up. When we got home, Omar felt so bad that he was shivering and could not get warm. It was so weird, our bodies ached and our stomachs felt terrible. Turns out that our whole family, but Lindsey was sick. We finally figured out it must have been the cookies that our neighbor brought over on Christmas day. She had been sick and Lindsey was the only one who did not eat one. I only ate one of them and Omar 2. Let's hope we don't have to relive that kind of Christmas again.

Provo Tabernacle Burned Down!

Omar told me Sunday that the Provo Tabernacle had burned down. I was shocked! I loved that building. It really is the heart of Provo. It was built in the late 1800's by the pioneers, and is a building on the National Register of Historic Places.

While I was at BYU, I would often go to the tabernacle for church meetings, stake conference and concerts. The organ which was valued at over a million dollars was one of a kind and was lost in the fire as well. I hope they rebuild it.

Citizenship - FINALLY!

So Omar called me Friday and told me that he is going to be a CITIZEN! Finally...I was beginning to wonder. After all they told him at his interview and test in October that he passed and we just NOW heard word, 2 months later, of when he will go for his Oath Ceremony. The big day is really a cool date and easy to remember -

1/11/11...January 11th 2011 at 9:15 AM.

Now I have another party to start planning. This will only happen once in his life and I don't think I will really have another relative close enough to me to do this with! YEAH!!!




Original part of his letter

 

These are some of the requirements for citizenship:
Age: An applicant for naturalization must be at least eighteen years old.
Residency: An applicant must be a legal permanent resident in the U.S. The applicant must have an I-551 (Alien Registration Card) to proceed.
Residence and Physical Presence: Just before applying, a naturalization applicant must have been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of the previous five years. However, if the applicant was absent for more than six months but less than one year, the applicant may still be eligible if he or she can show that the absence was not an abandonment of resident status.
Good Moral Character: A naturalization applicant must show good moral character during the five-year period prior to application (three years if married to a U.S. citizen or one year for certain military exceptions). Murder convictions are a permanent obstacle to naturalization, as are aggravated felony convictions on or after November 29, 1990.
Certain criminal convictions in the five years prior to the application will bar naturalization, but even if the applicant fears that a conviction will ruin his or her application, all convictions must still be disclosed. It is far worse to have U.S. immigration authorities discover a falsehood than to disclose the issue.

Attachment to the Constitution: An application for naturalization must declare the applicant's willingness to support and defend the U.S. and the Constitution. An applicant declares his or her "attachment" to the U.S. and the Constitution at the time he or she takes the oath of allegiance.
Language: Applicants must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English words in ordinary use. Some applicants may be exempt because of age or mental condition.
U.S. Government and History Knowledge: An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate knowledge of the fundamentals of U.S. history and certain principles of U.S. government. Applicants are exempt if they have a medically recognizable physical or mental impairment that affects their ability to learn or understand these topics.
Oath of Allegiance: U.S. citizenship is conferred after the oath of allegiance is taken. A modified oath may be available in certain instances, such as religious opposition to oaths.

Tech Update

Omar asked me if I have blogged about his new TV yet and I don't believe I have. So I think it is time for a tech update on some of our new little gadgets now a part of our family.

Omar loves this HUGE fan that he found and hung for our living room

Omar's new TV. It was supposed to wait until a black Friday deal, but he found a deal on a TV that he wanted that he couldn't pass up. Here are the specs...It is a Sony 60" 120 hertz 1080 P LCD compared to our old Sony 42" 1080 P LCD. I just think it is ginormo!

Our old TV looks so tiny compared to the new one. I liked our old one though

The new one in it's place. We just need to buy a new entertainment center since we sold our old one

For all of that stuff, I must say that a tv like this definetly looks different. Omar says, "it is realistic." I just think it is weird.

Our other new gadget is my new cell phone. Omar has been counting down the day when the new G2 would come out and fixed it all up to get a new one when his mom annually gets a new phone so he would get the discount. Well...he got it. However, I was a smart cookie and stole it from him. I have been miserable with my new phone that takes like 30 steps just to make a phone call and is really just complicated. After Omar got his phone he realized how nice it is and was afraid he would break it, so bought himself his same phone from a pawn shop for under a 100 bucks in case something happens to it. So I have this phone that has applications that seriously have changed my life. I love it!

1st Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange

So I have never been to a Christmas cookie exchange, no less hosted my own. But it seemed like such a fun thing to do. I love parties, and I love the challenge of figuring out how to throw one too. I wasn't sure if it would be successful or not, but I think everything went better than I thought. There was a good turnout and I think everyone had a great time, including me! I am already looking forward to next year (especially since my cookies are almost gone).

Yeah for my OWN first ever Christmas tree

I never thought I would have a fireplace and mantle!

Bought these in UT especially for this party, don't they sound delicious! They are!

I thought different designed mugs for everyone would be the easiest way to keep track of cups

I love candles

Erin started out my Christmas Exchange book, I will use it each year to record the previous year.

Isn't the host just plain adorable?

Some friends - Candice, Erica, Lizzy, Rebekah

Charlotte, Brittany, Melissa, Megan

The mystery cookie, which was not so delicious, it was renamed by the guests to be Santa's revenge!

Let the cookie madness begin

What a good looking group! Too bad I didn't have camera batteries charged and had to use my cell phone

Parties really make me love my house, because I think it works out perfectly for parties. It was fun decorating, although at times very stressful. Yeah for everyone who came and double yeah for those who helped me get ready!

I must say that everyone gave me a hard time about my cookie rules. Lets be honest, I simply copied them from the lady online that claims she is the original cookie exchange party queen or something. It was fun playing it up, and it really did make the party better. We had a wonderful selection of cookies.

Here are the rules:
Some content courtesy of Robin Olsen, Cookie-Exchange.com
1. All cookies should be homemade, baked and main ingredient must be flour.
2. No plain chocolate chip cookies, cookie mixes, no-bakes, meringues or bars.
3. Please bring 6 dozen total cookies.
4. The theme is "Christmas Cookies"
5. Arrange cookies in a basket or platter and be creative! Bring a large container to carry away your cookie,
6. Email a copy of your recipe before the party (or bring recipe to the party)
7. Christmas attire is encouraged!
8. RSVP as soon as you can and let me know what type of cookies you are planning on baking - no duplicate recipes allowed
9. There's a prize for the best Christmas outfit.
10. If you don't have time to bake, or have burnt your cookies, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen yummy cookies.

Training for a 5K

I think I am down to 41 days until my first 5k ever! I decided I needed some sort of health goal as just limiting my food intake was not enough, and the goal of making it to the gym never quite works out with my work schedule. So I told my dad that I want to run a 5k with him. We picked one out, the Matanzas 5k on Saturday January 22nd. I started training the week of Thanksgiving. I must say I am so proud of myself. My first week I ran a WHOLE mile straight! I don't think I had ever done that in my life. Week 2 it was a mile and a half STRAIGHT! I am on a roll.

I have been getting up at 7 AM every morning to run outside. From my house down to the waffle house and back is 2 miles. The cold weather came this past week. When I say cold, I mean it was brutal. There were people from up north visiting that didn't even know what to do because it was just that cold! I went running outside and couldn't make it a full mile before I literally felt my muscles and bones freezing! When I drove to work I noticed that the temperature gauge said it was below 35 degrees outside, plus there was humidity! I must have been running in 20 degree temperatures! I am insane.

I am getting back on track tomorrow, so I really can reach my goal. Some friends of mine run a race every month. I want to make this my new hobby. Wish me luck!

Only $2

Look what Omar bought from a model home selling its stuff!!! He only payed $2 for both items! Amazing!

This goes perfectly in my office!

A Night of Fondue

My parents gave me their old fondue stuff that they got in Germany, it is the hard core Le Creuset items. It took me a while to put it together but we had a lovely fondue night with Brianna and Brandon. There are many more fondue nights planned now as well. Brandon and Bri were in charge of the meat/oil fondue and they used their electric fondue maker and Omar and I did the chocolate. Yum Yum!

All of us ready to eat

the oil fondue

they had these neat fondue plates, we found some at Bed Bath and Beyond and bought some

making the chocolate fondue old school

Le Creuset all the way

Look at that chocolatey goodness!

Omar doesn't like chocolate so he just had his pound cake with milk

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving is always at Mom's house

It isn't Thanksgiving without everyone looking at the Black Friday ads

Mom's famous french apple pies are simply a must...there is never a shortage of pie variety

What a gorgeous Thankgsiving Day

We ran out of room this year in the Giving book, so I had to add new pages. This is the tradition for over 10 years that all the people that come write in the book what they are thankful for

I love my grandma's (the one I never met) version of stuffing.

Since Omar has been around he has become the official turkey carver.

I wish I had taken more pictures of course. But once we start eating everything becomes a blur. This year Mary, Megan and Ben Wallis came, as well as Nancy, the boys and Micah brought one of his roommates. All of us kids were there, and Aaron Ihli and his family came. We had all the trimmings: turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato yummy, green bean casserole, stuffing, broccoli spinach casserole, creamed onions, creamed squash, homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, french apple pie and icecream.

This year for the movie we went and saw Harry Potter. Also, we played quite a bit of Settlers of Catan. Super fun!

The next day we went and took family pictures. That was the first time I think we have done that since I was in high school. Kelly and I got this for mom's Christmas gift. It was a perfect day for pictures.

Wonder Works Out of Control Magic Show

I was a part of a couple of his trick. I was on stage for a good 20 minutes.

After the Dave Ramsey show we went over to Wonder Work's Out of Control Magic Dinner Show. Omar and I got groupons to go and my dad and Erin Pratt also joined us. It was really a great show. The food wasn't half bad either. I actually participated in about 15 minutes of the show on stage. This magician was really funny and talented. That is a lot to say after having sat for over 6 hours at the Dave Ramsey event right beforehand. I really am not sure how he did a lot of his tricks. I would go to this show again.

I am glad that we have been trying to find some deals for things down in Orlando area to try out that we have never done before. It seems that a lot of times growing up in Orlando, everything is so tourist and Disney oriented that we don't take the time to take advantage of some of the neat things to do.

Dave Ramsey Live!

So we went to the Dave Ramsey live event yesterday in Orlando. It was a great refresher for us since we are Financial Peace University Grads. It seems as though it has gotten Omar back into wanting to work to be debt free, which is exactly what we have been working on. We are focusing on being debt free for everything but the house by July 2011!!! That would be the best birthday present ever! Here's to Dave Ramsey...we love him! If you don't know who this guy is you need to go to his website http://www.daveramsey.com/ listen to him on the radio or watch him on Fox. Practical financial knowledge that will bring financial peace!!!

A cowgirl, an Indian, a Night of Mystery

The Assassins

Omar is in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and they have been planning their first activity for the Quorom which was the other night...a Murder Mystery Dinner. It was a ton of fun and people got really into it.

Omar was hilarious and had a perfect part for him, an Indian. Omar told me he thought he was chosen to be an Indian because of his color, I didn't think someone would have thought of that. I asked the Quorum president and he told me that was exactly why. I just laughed...but Omar was perfect with the horrible English and throwing jokes in all over the place. Boy did he look the part too!

I was a cowgirl and ended up being a main character in the plot. I enjoyed dressing up to, but had a wicked hard time of finding a gun! I finally bought a nerf gun as all the toy stores no longer sell cap guns or guns that look like real guns since kids have been killed by cops because of it. Someone told me they found a gun at Walgreens and I bought it an hour before the event, it was a working cap gun! It was perfect and completed my get-up.

The perfect couple...but not in this show

He was hilarious he was the lover that stole all the girls hearts

I totally want to host my own party now...have been wanting to for a while. I guess I will need to get on that...so many parties and so little time to host.