Confessions of Holiday Songs I Enjoy

So after reading a conversation between two women I totally love & respect (Summer & Cyndy :)) about the song on the radio this time of year entitled "Christmas Shoes," I thought I should confess that someone they know DOES actually like that song & that someone is ME!!! Surprise, surprise I'm sure!! I did laugh as I read what they said about it!! I do really like this song, and I even get a little teary eyed at times...not every time I hear it, but I just think it is really sweet & has a precious message. The movie starring Rob Lowe & Kimberly Williams inspired by this song is really sweet too...if you can bring yourself to watch it!!!

I also really enjoy when they play the song from the movie The Grinch, "Where Are You Christmas?" on the radio!

The last song I really enjoy hearing besides traditional Christmas songs is the song from the movie the Polar Express, "Believe" by Josh Groban. I'm sure all my friends may not agree with me in enjoying these songs, but I thought I would share some that warm my heart during this season!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

I keep trying to tell myself this, but every year getting a Christmas tree proves stressful for the Leeches: finding the perfect one (for me it is the size & for Mike it is the price), getting it in the house & straight in the stand, and stringing the lights all involve one or both of us not being completely satisfied! Once these steps are taken care of, I do really enjoy placing the ornaments on the tree, and I LOVE the final product! I also love the smell of a fresh, live Christmas tree. So, with all that being said, I thought I would share some pics of our beloved tree that is the biggest & plumpest one yet, which makes me VERY happy!!! I also wanted to share our nativity scene, which is my favorite Christmas decoration to put up! Hope everyone else is enjoying decorating this season!!! I'm sure most of you are more laid back than me & just enjoy every step of decorating for Christmas...just thought I would be honest that it definitely stresses me out at times!

It's been TOO long!!!

I know, I know...I have been a slack blogger! Sorry about that! We have either been hosting company on the weekends, traveling, or working! Well one of us has been working & the other one studying! Mike is in the middle of exams right now, and that has been super fun! It is hard to try & get Christmas decorations up or just hang out with friends when Mike really needs to be studying rather than hanging out with me! We did manage to walk in a 5K yesterday morning..the Reindeer Run. It is a fun celebration here in Charleston & people dress up in Christmas themed costumes. Bummer though..it was cold & rainy...we still got up & attended the event & even had a little fun! Hopefully next year the weather will be better! We were also able to get most of our Christmas decorations down from the attic today, but still no tree! Maybe later this week we will be able to get the tree & decorate some!

We had a really nice Thanksgiving in Asheville, it was short, but great to spend time with my family. We are looking forward to Christmas in Greenville after I work Christmas Eve night shift. This time of year is so BUSY, but we are trying to enjoy it! It just comes & goes SO fast! Mike is done with exams & his first semester of law school this Friday, December 11! He will have a whole month off to relax, which will be nice! We are both very excited about this! Maybe I'll have some pics to post next time!

Mike and I are recovering from a cold from you know where!!! Whew!!! I forgot what it was like to be able to breathe & taste my food!!! We have been living on DayQuil, NyQuil, Benadryl & other cold cocktails :)

We also had an interesting event occur in our safe little neighborhood this weekend. After watching a CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) marathon on Spike TV Saturday, we were definitely in criminal mentality! It all started when we were going to head out to get something to eat, and Mike couldn't find his wallet, which is not the first time!! So, I drove to dinner & took my wallet to pay for dinner. When we got home, we turned the house upside down looking for his wallet, searched his truck, and anywhere we could think of. After searching for like 4 hours, we finally gave up & decided to go to bed. We were lying in bed & Mike said, "I'm gonna go check outside one more time. There is something I need to check on." He comes back inside & says, "Sarah, you need to come look at this!" Mind you it is like 11:30 at night, so I get up & go outside with him, flashlight & all. He takes me to this island outside of our house with trees & bushes (a common area with foliage) to show me some colored papers & stuff he had seen earlier in the day but thought nothing of at the time. It was a birthday card with a check, a social security card, several lunch boxes, other stuff from a car that was determined invaluable to the culprits. SO, we concluded that the people who took this stuff & stashed the unnecessary items in the bushes probably also stole Mike's wallet from his truck.

We know, he should have locked his doors & not left his wallet in the truck overnight, but it happened! So we called the police at 11:35 & they show up around 12:30 and we get in bed around 1:00 am to turn around and get up at 6:30 am! Fun times!!

On another note, I attended Jury Duty for the first time today, and it was actually very interesting. I had to state my name, age, occupation, and spouse's occupation to the attorneys for all the cases we MIGHT be a part of the jury for. I ended up not being selected today after being there from 9-3: sitting & waiting ALOT and sitting through 2 jury selections without being chosen! I have to return tomorrow at 9:30 to sit & wait some more to see if they select me for a case tomorrow. I kind of want to be selected because the judicial process is interesting, and then again, there are other more productive things I can find to do with my time! I do think I will take a People magazine tomorrow for some mindless reading during my periods of waiting to see if the court will need my service! It is my civic duty!!! It did kind of make me want a job where I wear a business suit everyday & look really important and work in downtown, historic Charleston...it was a really nice day out today & I loved being in historic Charleston!

Two Years Ago Today...

These two became ONE!

September 8, 2007 will always hold a special place in my heart as one of my favorite days of my life! Our wedding day was very special & memorable! I had a certain peace & calm that everything would work out perfectly, and it really did! There were a few small challenges, but overall it was everything I ever dreamed of & MORE! All of my favorite people were there to celebrate with us, and it was just a very HAPPY day! So today I will be reliving the day by looking at pictures & watching videos from that day because I love to reminisce!

Twenty Six, Tarheels, and Time with the Fam

Well, I am still waiting on my brother to email me pics from my birthday weekend to put on the blog, but I had an awesome weekend with him, Katie, and my parents. We ate dinner at an amazing restaurant, Anson, and we had brunch with my friend Asheton at High Cotton on Sunday. My parents gave me an iShuffle for my birthday, and I LOVE it!!! It is so tiny!!! I also got a tennis racquet with some of my birthday money & I hope that Mike and I will play soon on the new courts in our neighborhood. There is going to be a county park right here in our neighborhood that we are really excited about! I also got a new bike to give me something to do when Mike is reading & studying all the time, and I really like it! So these are just a few of the new things going on in my life :)

This past weekend we traveled to Elon to watch the Elon vs. UNC Charlotte men's soccer game. My brother Robert is playing for the UNC Charlotte 49ers!!!

We then went to Chapel Hill & visited with my sister Saturday...we were on campus ALL day for the football game vs. the Citadel Bulldogs at 6pm!!! It was a LONG day but lots of fun! I had a good time messing with the cadets as they marched into the stadium!

I kept cheering GO TARHEELS!!! My family couldn't believe I was doing this, but it was all in good fun! And the cadets loved it...they just yelled back GO BULLDOGS!!! Robert got to come to the football game too, so Mike, me, Rob, and Marge all sat together in the student section at the football game with all of Marge's friends! I always enjoy getting to hang out with my fam! We ate a late dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, and my parents ordered this amazing salad: Thai Crunch Salad. Too bad there isn't a CPK close to us! But if there is one close to you, give this item a try!

Turning Over a New Leaf

Well, I have finally decided to start a blog after following so many of my friends & linking to other interesting blogs! Mike & I have lots of new things going on, so I decided why not start now when our life seems exciting to me! Mike finished orientation this past week at the Charleston School of Law & began his first few days of classes. He is really enjoying it so far, and reading A LOT & taking lots of notes. The perks of starting back to school included getting a new Mac laptop & of course a free iTouch with that. I am jealous!!! He lets me play with his toys when I want to though, which is really nice!!! It is also my 26th birthday this weekend, which I am really excited about. I love birthdays! Andrew & Katie are coming to visit, and they are bringing their chocolate lab, Kenya. Lucy LOVES to play with Kenya!!! My mom & dad are also coming on Saturday to celebrate my birthday with me :) Well I hope all my friends who have been encouraging me to start a blog are happy & I hope to be able to continue updating you on our exciting life!!!