Dreams of a White Christmas

All the natives here say this is a "mild" winter. However, this is more snow than I have ever seen in my life combined. Growing up in Georgia you just don't get much snow. So while everyone is blowing off these 5 inches to be mild, I feel like a child in the best winter wonderland, and that dream of a white Christmas will finally come true.The neighbors may laugh at us out there playing in the snow but we might as well enjoy it while we have it.

On Saturday we went out to build a snowman, however it was a failed attempt because the snow was to dry to compact. So we went inside to grab our sleds and head for the hills. However on our way out Brad realized he couldn't find his phone. We looked EVERYWHERE. Turns out that phone got dropped in the snow {see ya in the spring little phone}. Luckily for Brad he was due for an upgrade so he got a new phone. I'm telling you that boy is hitting the jackpot of Christmas gifts! 

Today we went to church. We had a great Christmas Program and I absolutely loved Sunday School. We all shared our favorite scripture of the Savior from the Book of Mormon and shared our testimonies of Jesus Christ, for He is the Greatest Gift to us all. What a great reminder it was for us to remember that He is what Christmas is all about. We missed about half of Priesthood and Relief Society due to the fact that we are getting callings next week! We are so thrilled to be getting put to work! After church we came home, ate lunch, changed, and went to go build a snowman because today the snow was in prime condition for snowman building. We had such a blast and our sweet neighbor even offered to take pictures of us together with our snowman! {Hurray for no awkward stretched out arms or self timer!}

Tonight, the eve of Christmas Eve, we are sleeping under our beautiful Christmas Tree! I can't believe we have kept it green and alive for so long. It hasn't even shed yet! Glad Brad did his research so we could pick a good one!

I can't believe Christmas is already here! This year has flown by and we have so much to be grateful for here in the Schmidt household! Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Georgia on my mind

This past weekend I was able to go home to Georgia! I always miss my family so much and always enjoy going home and being around them. It had been 5 months since I was home last and I was definitely home sick so Christmas break came just in time! While I was there Mo actually had the day off so we spent it shopping and having girl time. She also worked so hard on making Brad and I Christmas stockings! I'm so lucky that she loves me and was willing to sew for me! I love how they turned out! {THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MOM!}On Saturday, my family headed to Tybee Island for the day. Our family made it a goal at the beginning of the year to go to the beach every month this year and we had to make sure they could cross the month of December off and achieve their goal! Living away from my family has made me realize how precious my time with my family is, and how blessed I am to have each one of them in my life. I love that each one of us has a role and contributes to our family. I am so thankful that families can be together for eternity, because that means I will never be without my best friends! 

Now for some pictures from the trip:

Tybee Island-Beach Trip

Traditional Gingerbread House

Our cute stockings!

 

Home Tour

Now that we have finally gotten all settled in our new home I thought I would give y'all a little preview. 

First up the living room. Our last living room was HUGE so our new space has been a little bit of an adjustment for us, and our new one is laid out kind of funny. I love having a fireplace though, it's been nice to have on all the chilly days we have so often here. 

Next up the kitchen and dining area. Probably my favorite part of our new place is that there is wood floor and a dining area within the kitchen. 

Our bedroom and bathroom are pretty much the same as they were before, just different layouts. So if anyone would like pictures of those leave a comment below and I'll edit the post and add them! 

We are absolutely loving our new place and being so close to Brad's work once again. I hope everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit. We have been blasting Christmas music around here and putting up the few Christmas decorations that we have. I love that we used ornaments as part of our reception decor because we get to put them out every year!

We received a beautiful nativity from the cutest family in my parents ward. It is from Kenya and is made of banana leaves, it is very detailed and we absolutely love it! 

I am going back to Georgia next week for 6 days. I am so excited to see my family and spend some time with them. I have missed them so much! Then it's back to my mancub to spend our first Christmas together as a married couple! We are so excited!

Random Ramblings {Take 3}

I have realized that lately I just blog about random things. I have mixed feelings about this. I am a very Type A personality kind of gal, so I like my order and organization. I would love to have themed posts that release every week on certain days. However, life seems to be full of random thoughts and moments so I feel as though this is the best way to document all of that. So here we go.

We haven't even been living in New York for a month yet but it has been such an incredible change so far. We have already made a couple of new friends from our ward. Speaking of our ward, we absolutely love it. It is small, sweet, and simple. Brad's job here allows him to be home more which makes this wifey happy. Happy wife equals happy life. Our apartment just feels so much more like home here. I am loving having hardwood and tile floors (with radiant heating) and a fireplace (which I'm pretty sure we turn on every day). We have the nicest neighbors here who are so helpful and so kind. Plus we are on the same time zone as our families which makes me super happy.

I absolutely LOVE Christmas. Seriously what's not to love? I have my wonderful mother to thank for my love of Christmas. She does Christmas the best with all her Nativities and themed trees! Brad and I got a real Christmas Tree this year. I have never had one in my life so I am soaking it all in. We had such a great time going to the Christmas Tree farm, picking one out, cutting it down, and setting it up (while listening to Christmas music, of course). I love that we get to incorporate pieces from our reception into our Christmas decorations, we call it our classy Christmas Tree. We are excited to establish our own Christmas traditions this year, plus we will more than likely have a white Christmas since it has already snowed here.   

School is wrapping up for the year for both of us which will give us more time to spend with one another for a little bit. I can't believe we have almost been married for 5 months. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. We are LOVING married life and have such a blast together!

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone has a fabulous week! I will try to post more often to keep everyone updated, I know I've been slacking in this area!

Our First Thanksgiving

Our First Thanksgiving was one I will never forget. Brad and I were lucky enough to spend 3 days in New York City. We left Wednesday at 11 to start the 4 hour trip into the city. It's weird though, we live in New York but had to go through Pennsylvania and New Jersey to get there. Anyways, we ended up getting into the city at 6. Talk about a long and tiring day. However that was just the beginning.

To anyone who may be traveling into the city, the Lincoln Tunnel is a toll road, and it's a $12 toll. Insane I know. First lesson learned: always carry some cash with you on trips. We drove for pretty much a hour trying to find someone who would let us take cash out. Let's just say that was a hard task. 

After we got settled in our hotel we hopped on the subway to go to dinner. We went and ate at the cutest Italian hole in the wall restaurant. Everything was so delicious. Best Italian I have ever had. It was so fun too because it was a family run place, and so everyone was speaking Italian. 

Following dinner, we got back on the subway and headed to Times Square. That place is way more exciting at night. All the lights really bring the place to life! After spending some time at Times Square we headed to the Rockefeller Plaza. Ice Skating at the Plaza has always been a dream of mine. I was thrilled to be there and was taking in every minute. I kept telling Brad to pinch me because I felt like I was in a dream.

Thursday morning we were up by 5 to go save our spot for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade {another bucket list item}. Just in case you didn't know over 3.5 million people attend this parade. That is a lot of people. We stood next to a family who had traveled all the way from Australia to see it. It was so crowded but since we woke up early we only had one family between us and the floats, so we had a pretty good view. It was such a pretty day too, nice blue skies and no snow or rain! It was incredible to see how big the balloons are in real life, and how small the floats actually look in comparison to what they do on TV. 

After the parade ended we headed back to the hotel, the subways were so crowded too since everyone had just come from watching the parade and wanted to hurry home to start their own Thanksgiving festivities. That night we ended up eating dinner at some random restaurant and had a small Thanksgiving Meal.

We had such a wonderful trip and definitely one that will always have a special place in my heart. 

I have so much to be thankful for this year so I will just list 5 things:

1) I am thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and to have the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father who blesses me on a daily basis. I am thankful for a Savior who atoned for my sins and that through His sacrifice I am able to return to live with my Father in Heaven.

2) I am thankful for temples and the work that goes on in them. This year I was able to experience the biggest blessing of my life and it is such an incredible blessing that I have to be sealed to the love of my life and to be able to have him beyond the grave. 

3) I am thankful for such an incredible family who serves as my biggest love and support system. I know if I was ever in need I could always turn to them.  Even from far away I can feel their love.

4) I am thankful for Brad. He is such an incredible husband. I feel so lucky to be his wifey. I am thankful for the job he has and that he is able to provide for us. For the priesthood he holds and the spirit he brings into our home. I can't imagine my life without him in it.

5) I am thankful for technology. I would be so sad and lonely without it. The highlight of my day is being able to text my mom. I miss her so much and I can't imagine not being able to have a daily conversation with her. Skype was such a life saver when Brad and I were dating and technology really made our long distance relationship easier. Plus I am able to continue my education all online which is such a blessing.

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Promise We Didn't Die

Hellooooo Bloggy World!

Glad to be back into the cyber world.

Brad and I have been super busy as of late. 

We moved to the opposite side of the country, to New York.

Things have been a roller coaster here but mostly great.

Living out of a hotel for a week was awesome. I mean who doesn't love getting new towels, unlimited hot showers, a fresh made bed, and complimentary breakfast and dinner. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

I'm just saying, I wasn't complaining. 

We got to pick up the keys to our new place on Wednesday, I was so excited! I absolutely love our new apartment. It has a cozy fire place, the complex pays the heat and hot water, and for cable TV. Hello awesomeness.  Plus it's brand new so all the walls are crisp and clean. Oh and did I say it has radiant heating in the floors, perfect for these chilly days. We are supposed to get snow on Saturday. I'm kind of nervous. We pass the snow sticks on the road and they go higher than my hip, I'm only 5'2 but seriously...that is a lot of snow.

Thursday we were supposed to move in but it ended up being Friday. I have already met people here in the complex which is such a relief because I did not know one person in my last complex. I have also made friends in our new {much smaller} ward. I really think we are going to love it here. 

We were supposed to get Internet on Friday, but our technician didn't show up so we just got Internet today. Hallelujah. McDonald's was probably getting tired of seeing us everyday, they have free Internet. Did I mention Brad and I are both enrolled in online classes? Yeah. We were dying.

Anyways just a quick update so you know we still exist. Once the movers come and pick up all our boxes I will post a tour of our new apartment. Until then Happy Thanksgiving, I'll be posting my thankful list soon so keep an eye out! 

A Tribute to Washington

I can't believe the packers are coming tomorrow, bright and early to pack up all our belongings. Brad and I have been having bittersweet feelings as our move has been quickly approaching.We are very excited to see what New York holds for us and have already started talking about things that we would like to do and see while we are there. However, we are sad to see this part of our story come to a close. So here's to Washington. To the place that Brad and I fell in love. To the apartment we lived in as a newlywed couple. To the state where so many memories were made. To Pike's Market, with all the gorgeous flowers, fresh homemade cheese, and the freshest apples. To the Space Needle where Brad and I had our first date, and where Brad got down on one knee to propose. To the Seattle Temple, where I received my endowments and have spent many wonderful date nights with my husband. To Uncle Pete's Pizzeria, who makes the best pizza I have ever tasted. To the wild blackberries at our apartment complex. To many more wonderful and not so wonderful things. Here's to the next chapter in our story book, can't wait to see what comes our way in New York.