This Used To Be My Playground

Over the years Jer and I have been trusted to watch others pets when they are away but for some reason when it came to watching kids it was another story. We were always on the bottom of the list. 

So when we got the call that we were actually going to be trusted with watching little humans (our nieces) overnight we were at a loss. 

We stocked up on nutritional food; cheese curls,m&ms,chocolate chip cookies,and ice cream. 

I was all set for movies since I heard Frozen was like every kids favorite. These kids had another idea...Annabelle. Um, no. The previews alone had us all trembling. 

We had games and a list of different activities we could do. 

We were set to be the best fucking babysitters ever. 

When they arrived they had their snow gear and sleds and said that they wanted to go sledding. Um, okay, wasn't prepared for that but I knew just the place to take them.

My childhood home has the best hills for sledding. So we headed to my dad's and I relived my glory days.  

Skiing vs Snowboarding

I have been trying to get Jer to snowboard for years to no avail. We don't get to go often so when we do he wants to do what he knows he enjoys; valid point. 

I, on the other hand, will try anything (well almost anything) once and gave his beloved skiing a try a couple years ago and it did not go well. 

I sucked and kept wrecking with ski poles flying this way and the skis flying off the other. Then I had to walk all over creation picking up the pieces of my disastrous falls. What a big pain in the ass! Now I just stick to snowboarding.

Favorite Travel Destinations: Belize Part III

Turtle Inn would be our home for the remaining four nights of our week long trip. It was raining when we arrived which didn't stop of us from taking a walk around the deserted grounds.  

Favorite Travel Destinations: Belize Part II

We decided to book a private tour to the ancient Mayan site of Caracol. I, typically, will go at this on my own but since this seemed to have so many different structures I thought it would be best to hire a guide. So glad we did since many of the sites were not even marked. 

Favorite Travel Destinations: Belize Part 1

Belize; with dense jungles, ancient Mayan ruins, waterfalls, underground caves, gorgeous beaches, and the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world it truly has something for everyone to enjoy.

Goodbye Girl

"If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello." 

Jer's sister has decided to ditch the cold temperatures and move out on her own to the Sunshine State. She is packing up and starting a whole new exciting adventure.

Before she leaves in two weeks, friends and family gathered at her uncle's bar to bid her farewell.

Some things to keep in mind when living on your own for the first time:

Marlboro Man

When asked by my dad if Jer and I would enter a cattle sorting competition we said, "Sure". 

We had no clue what exactly a cattle sorting was and there is also the minor fact that Jer has only rode a horse four times his whole life, but carpe diem.

We arrived early to try and get an idea of what exactly we were supposed to do as the more experienced riders went before us. 

We entered the arena and took a glance around and gave each other the "we are in trouble" looks. 

We felt like Vinny Gambini and Mona Lisa Vito when they first arrived to Beechum County for the first time, totally out of place. (If you have not watched the movie My Cousin Vinny please rent it straight away; it is hilarious).

We warmed up our horses and then the competition started. Jer was up first. 

Happy New Year!

The New Year is here and it is time to put our resolutions into action. Well, tomorrow anyway. 

For me, today is all about eating some pork and sauerkraut (which is a PA Dutch/German tradition supposedly to bring good luck for the year) and trying to recover from the night before. 

Each year seems to go by quicker than the last and leaves you thinking where the hell did the time go. 

Which leads me to my New Year's resolution:

Make the most of my time off.
More often than not my days off consist of lounging at home trying to catch up on any TV shows that I might have missed, cleaning (although my husband may say otherwise), and running errands. Boring, right?!?

I am not one of the lucky work folks who get to have two days off in a row and I must work every Sunday. This leaves me feeling a bit slighted at times and I tend to miss out on a few social gatherings (good thing I love what I do). 

I am going to make it a point to try/visit something/someplace new at least once a week. I stumbled upon this quote recently on Pinterest and it really spoke to me. It led me to the realization that I better get living and stop putting so many things off.

"You have exactly one life in which to do everything you'll ever do. Act accordingly."

With that, I wish everyone a very Happy New Year. May this year be even better than the last. 

Goodbye, 2014.