Oh Christmas Tree...

The search for the Bishop Family Christmas tree began December 1st... and I am so very proud to announce it also ended on December 1st. You see, I grew up in a home where the tree was the kick-off, my highlight, of the Christmas season. The four of us would go out desperately searching for the perfect McLaughlin Christmas tree. We would go from tree lot to tree lot analyzing, sometimes arguing, about which tree would look better in the house. Sometimes it would take more than just one outing to find the tree. But somehow we always managed to find the PERFECT, not-too-skinny, not-too-short McLaughlin Christmas tree. Some of my most treasured family memories revolve around our Christmas tree. So as you can probably assume, I was more than excited for us Bishops to start our own tree traditions. And may I just say, Nic got off pretty easy this year.

We started our hunt at Walmart (wouldn’t recommend), then went to Publix, and then Lowe’s, where we found “the one.” The perfectly green, fresh, not-too-tall for our town house, not too wimpy, symmetrical at all angles, Bishop Family Tree. My parent’s, also known as the Christmas Tree professionals, met us at the house to help set it up. And let me just say, it took less than an hour to get the tree in the tree-stand and to fluff it’s branches and move it into the house. I’m pretty sure that’s a world record... at least for my family.

And let the decorating begin... I took the lead on this one. I take great pride in the past McLaughlin trees that I helped my Dad decorate. Every year we would have a color scheme that we would run with. We even did things like go out in the back yard to collect pine cones to spray paint to match the scheme. Okay, okay, so Nic and I didn’t go that far this year, but I am so proud of our garnet and gold tree. And I am even more excited about the many more trees to come in our future!

So, December 1st will always be remembered in our household as the kick-off to our first Christmas as husband and wife. I'm overflowing with Christmas cheer, and I just cannot wait to create more “firsts” this Christmas Season with my husband!

We found it!

It's still standing!

It was a good day...

Today was one of those special days that I can honestly say was a good... GREAT day!! To start, my sister, Haley was in town so I was able to spend the entire day with her. You know, just hanging out... doing family stuff (which I love doing). We grabbed some lunch at a local seafood joint (an Oyster bar to be exact), and if any of you know me, you know that I hate seafood... so my lunch consisted of a salad and onion rings. Not my favorite to say the least, but the company was what meant the most to me.

Following lunch, we went on the hunt for the McLaughlin family Christmas tree (which is another blog in itself). You have to realize, I anxiously wait ALL year to go Christmas tree shopping. Saying that I LOVE Christmas is an understatement. So getting a jump-start on the Christmas season made me smile... and whistle Christmas tunes ALL day! I was one happy, family-loving, Christmas-spirited girl!

But to top it all off... my Seminoles made me proud!!! The Noles pulled out a win (31-7) over our rival, the Gators. And it's official... we're going to the ACC Championship game!! Our family was huddled around that TV cheering, war chanting, high-fiving all night long!

So, although most days seem good, today seemed a little extra good. Who wouldn't love a day filled with family, seafood (well, maybe not the seafood), holiday cheer, and the Noles?!?

With that, I'll leave you with one of the many highlights of this football season... the game-winning field goal at the FSU vs Clemson game... makes me smile every time.

Savannah, GA

Some pics from our awesome Savannah vacation...

We did not take a carriage ride. I just like horses.

We did, however, take a trolley ride.

Even my beard went on the trolley ride.

We take pictures of hospitals. Guess why.

Where Heather and I will live when we move to Savannah.

Our other house.

Saint John's Cathedral. Very beautiful.

I really wanted to tickle these ivories.

Street performers are the best.

Getting a caramel apple was Heather's only goal the entire trip.

After all that...that's all she ate.

Our favorite part was the River Front.

Just surveying Savannah. Being sexy. Like always.

Burns Boys Night In

These two little boys make my heart happy. I have been in their lives since Ryan (the youngest) was 3 months old. Nic and I have seen them grow so much over the past 3 years. We have watched Jimmy transform from a timid toddler into an outgoing, sporty, HAPPY kindergartener… and a Seminole fan! And Ryan, who I would rock to sleep has become such a big boy. He has an enormous personality that never fails to make me laugh.

As soon as we got our house unpacked we decided to host the boys first sleepover. Hopefully to give John and Karen a night free, but mostly just to hang out with our favorite Burns Boys! I had the night all planned out. We would play outside in our back yard; we’d eat pizza, make homemade cookies and end the night with camping out in the living room… sleeping bags and all. But I quickly figured out that the boys enjoyed the unplanned things the most… like beating up Nic and watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and eating dry cinnamon toast crunch just because. It ended up being such a fun night for the boys and for us. Maybe when we’re a little braver we’ll have the Burns' girls over.

Reality

The wedding is over and reality has hit us like a ton of bricks… house work, our careers, bills, and all of the challenges that life brings us.

As I lounge on the couch writing this blog, I feel like I need toothpicks to keep my eyes open. I can barely gather my thoughts together because I feel like my brain is fried. You see, I just got off work this morning and I am beyond exhausted. Now don’t get me wrong, the reality we face is not bad. In fact, since marrying my best friend I am absolutely loving life. And facing reality isn’t that scary when you have a partner to do it with.

House:

As soon as we came home from the honeymoon we started unpacking our house. And yes, that can be stressful at times, but for us it was exciting! We loved the fact that we had our own space to decorate. We bought brand new furniture, came up with a color scheme and went to work. And I think it looks pretty pretty if I do say so myself. Most importantly it is a place that we can rest, relax, laugh, eat and create memories.

WORK:

The downside to coming home is having to go back to work. Balancing our totally different schedules can be so difficult. All I want to do is spend every moment possible with my husband… I am a newlywed you know. But with me working nights and Nic working 8-5 it makes it nearly impossible. We have learned to manage however. And I think we are finally getting into the groove of things. We spend about 3-4 days apart a week, occasionally getting the privilege of seeing each other in passing. But on my days off, we definitely try to do something fun, something that takes our mind off of our jobs. We try to get away every now and then, and I feel like the beach has become “our” place.

If we can’t go out of town we love hanging out with friends…

Or just lounging around, popping in a frozen pizza, occasionally enjoying a special treat like strawberries and chocolate (my favorite), and watching (or sleeping through) a movie.

Oh, and football season… One of the highlights of the fall season…

BILLS:

I guess you could say I was a bit “privileged” before getting married. I lived at home with my parents enabling me to save up my money for our wedding. I had no bills. Oh those were the days. But now we are on our own completely. I had no idea how much money it takes to just live. I’m pretty sure when you sign a marriage license you put a label on your forehead that says “charge me.” It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I love that we have the control of what we spend and what we save.

OUR FIRST BIG PURCHASE:

Most of you know that a few weeks ago Nic’s car decided to die. The only hope to reviving it was replacing the engine. So we had been managing, or at least attempting to manage with only one car. Boy was this difficult. We had to carefully map out our days and since our schedules are so different I had to rely on others to give me rides to and from work. Not very fun. So we started looking around for cars. Our taste was seeming to be more expensive than our budget, but with the help of our friend (who works at a dealership), we were able to find one. And we absolutely LOVE it. We are so blessed.

REALITY:

So yes reality has hit us like a ton of bricks. Our lives are always changing. Our things are always breaking. And yes, I tend to have a melt down about once a week… mainly due to pure exhaustion. But this life is so rich and so sweet. We are so blessed to be facing our trials and our victories together. I feel honored to face this life with the man I love. And I am LOVING our new reality… our new life together.

Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart, like

Why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard?

It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving

I'll tell you one thing, it's so much better when we're together.

-"Better Together" by Jack Johnson