absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Right?  I mean, blog-posting absences make you want them all the more! 

or maybe at this rate of posting blogs, I may just lose my audience. whoops.  it's a 50-50 chance, I suppose.

But c'mon...you gotta cut me a little slack.  I'm blissfully engaged, I'm working two (and a half) jobs AND winter is fast approaching.  All good reasons for why I haven't written sooner.

Hmmm...so much to say.  First of all, engaged life is all I expected and more! Never realized how comfortable and normal this stage of life would feel.  I kept waiting for this life-changing, world-turned-upside-down feeling.  And it hasn't happened.  I mean, don't get me wrong...life IS different.  Things HAVE changed.  But it feels like a natural extension of my life.  Like this is what was supposed to happen next, so it just flows.  I am also blessed that he lives so close to me and we can spend as much time as we do together. 

And for those of you who have been married and want to impart your advice about how its not all candy and roses...let me put your mind at ease.  We are aware of that.  We have had some discussions already where we had different points of view and took a lot of time and energy to sort through it...and we've both come to the conclusion that relationships are a lot of work.  But it's totally worth it =)

p.s. keep your eyes open for a surprise on my blog in the near-ish future (near future is a relative term when it comes to my blog)

On to other things. 

wow...Just realized it is PAST thanksgiving and now we're almost to DECEMBER!  Crazy.  I guess the second half of my blog will be pictures and commentary!  enjoy!

The weather has gotten a little cooler.  Then gotten warmer, then cooler again.  But it means more bundling up!  

 Bathtimes are so much fun!!

 Last week we got our first "snow"...and it was beautiful. And it didn't last.  The next few days were 60!  

 Miss K walking around in mini loaf pans!  so cute. 

 BRRRRR.  it's getting SO COLD! 

Sierra enjoying the first snow.  Her inner half-husky came out for sure!  she loved it!  (which doesn't bode well for me.  Thankfully I'm marrying a guy who LOVES the cold and snow. So he can take her out in it!) 

Since I don't take her out as much when it's cold, she tends to do things like this.  I was napping and she was shredding my pink tissue paper.  And any other kind of paper she could find.

 This is Kavya.  Karlina loves her.  as is apparent in this picture.  

Ben was working on something in his garage, and Sierra just loved being by him and watching him.  She really does like him...and it's totally a bonus that he likes her too!  

 

 On one of the 60-something days, we went to the zoo!  Most of the animals were inside...The Lions looked fake, they were standing so still! 

 Karlina loved it!

 Such a cheeseball

 He's always so content just to sit in the stroller and take in the world!

 They are such a delight in my life!

 such a little munchkin!

 Miss K looking cute on the fake giraffe!

 I love how she crosses her feet when eating.  Gotta love the nutella on rice cakes!

 Enderpants playing with toys!

 YES!  he loves the kids and they love him!  This totally made my day!  

Spent the majority of Thanksgiving day at work!  Normally I'm at CVE in Mexico...this is the first time in 8 years I haven't gone.  It made me sad...there were tears...i was wistful...but then decided to make the best of it!

 Karen and I were an expo team!

 The kitchen!

 Team of wonderful cooks! 

 One of my managers, Jeremie.

 Everyone just hanging around waiting for the people to arrive.  

 Me busy working!

 Then when I got home that night, it was so pretty with the lights and snow.  

oh yeah, it snowed again last night...

 Not a ton, but still really pretty!

 Sierra loved it! 

So even though my Thanksgiving was spent differently, there were still a ton of blessings and things to be thankful for!  I have a job, which is nice.  But in addition to that, I went back over to Ben's family's house after work and hung out there.  They had an eclectic group of people over and it was nice to just hang around, play games, talk and enjoy each others company!  They had delicious leftovers for me too!  I wrapped up the evening going driving and looking at early Christmas lights and city lights by the river with my man.  

it was a good day.  

Well, I'm needing to go on with my day...so I shall leave you now. But hopefully I will return soon!

=)