Bearded Bandit

So this is my husband, Justin, on our honeymoon in Jamaica last year. It isn't the best picture, but if you look very closely, you'll see a little scruff. This year, he has grown a full-on beard. Maybe it was the cold weather or the fact he doesn't want to shave his whole face. Either way, I must say I find it very attractive and something to blog about. Really, he looks quite handsome.

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

Originally I had planned to dress a little more comfortably. We had a professional development day, which lends itself to dressing down and wearing jeans. I still wore jeans, but instead of sneakers I wore an old pair of boots from college. I must say they are a little shabby, but every time I wear them I feel somewhat empowered. I don't know if it's the way they look with jeans, the way the heels sound as they hit the floor, or the fond memories they bring back from the good ol' days at Paddy's. Somehow, it just made me feel very positive. So, my five positives for the day include: 1) wearing my black boots, 2) collaboration at work, 3) drinking plenty of water, 4) sleeping totally awesome last night, and 5) getting a very positive complement about my teaching abilities and how they have improved since last year.

Adding Some Bling to the Blog

Thanks to my fellow co-worker, Sara, the blog has a new background. I am quite fond of the diamonds! Everyone had all these cool backgrounds and my lack of techno-saviness was impeding my ability to make A Nickel's Worth of News really stand up to its true value. Thank you Sara K.!

Also, here is a picture I've been meaning to add for a while. While it may seem I am abandoning my Alma mater, Iowa State, my sister and I really can't help ourselves when watching Heisman trophy winner sexy Sam Bradford on the field. This is our tribute to the Sooners. Another one of my New Year's resolutions is to come up with five positive statements throughout the day. Good news is, I woke up this morning and found out there is only three more days till the BSC National Championship game. Boomer Sooner baby! Other positive things that happened today were seeing all my lovely colleagues at work, staying on track with drinking plenty of water, getting organized at work, and finding this lovely blog background.

I hope everyone is doing well and recovering from the holidays. There will be more blogging tomorrow.

2009 Resolutions

Well the holidays came and went as fast as a blink of an eye. Here is a gingerbread house that my sisters and I built over Thanksgiving. Justin and I couldn't believe it when we saw it over Christmas as the poor little house endured humid conditions, smoke inhalation from a self-cleaning oven attempt, and survival from not being eaten. Amazing!

Hmmm, I guess it is on to New Year's resolutions. Among the typical resolutions such as getting some sort of physical activity throughout the week I am vowing to keep in better touch with friends and loved ones. Hopefully this will mean getting back to calling people more often and more frequent blogs. While I love my husband dearly, it gets pretty lonely down here and it is only up to myself to try and keep better communication. So I resolute to blog more often! Happy New Year!

Long Time, No Blog

Well folks, I know it has been ages since the last blog update. I sincerely apologize for this. It is no one's fault, but my own. In Nickel news, Justin and I both finished up our finals and are loving our vacation from work and school. We started our holiday adventure by bearing the winter elements and heading to Ames for an overnight pit-stop before heading to the northern tundra known as Manley, IA. We thought we were really out-smarting the weather by leaving the night before, but had to hurl through regardless. It was a very lovely and cold Christmas with the Nickel/Whitehurst/Petersen clan. Next stop, was the Duree/Owen/Nickel Christmas in West Des Moines. Again, the weather was cold and there was plenty of blowing snow. Later that afternoon, we drove through more blowing snow which had practically drifted over the highways and had our final Christmas stop in State Center for the Duree/Nickel Christmas. It really began to feel that no matter where our car turned, the wind changed and blew snow against our vehicle. Weather aside, it has been a wonderful Christmas and we truly feel blessed to have such great families. Happy Holidays to all and a huge thanks to my friend Sam for navigating us through some of the winter weather conditions we endured on our way to Iowa.

Legendary Bull Riders

My sisters Erin and Amy came down for a weekend full of fun. We decided to hit The Legends for some shopping and bull riding. The Legends is a new outdoor shopping facility located near the Kansas Speedway. There are all these great restaurants, including Sattle Ranch and the legendary machanical bull. Gotta love living in Kansas! Later we came back to my place and trimmed the Christmas tree and had a lovely pre-Thanksgiving feast. More pictures will come, but I thought you all might enjoy these first.

Deck the Halls?

After getting pumped about fall festivities last weekend, I decorated our fireplace with bittersweet and a pumpkin. Really, this should have been done like two months ago when we moved into our home. I say this because with the weather changing and all the commercials about the Holidays, I now want to put up all of our Christmas decorations. Is it to early I ask? We never really got into decorating for any holiday until about three years ago when I worked an extra job at Bath & Body Works/ White Barn Candle Company. Yes the fine art of selling scents and wax, as my good friend Sam once said. It was a fantastic job. Maybe it was the fumes that made it so enjoyable. The other funny things was the realization that one cannot help in any retail position to be thinking about a holiday months before the holiday actually occurs. I believe I put up fall decorations in August that year and was already priming the home for Christmas right after Halloween. Overall, I must say the season only comes once a year. Thus we must relish in the moments and signs of the season life has to offer. Up goes the tree!