It's Marvelous: January 2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

let it snow

That's right. Snow was predicted, and snow it did! We woke up this morning with about four inches of snow covering our little apartment complex. My office went from opening two hours late to closing completely, so it's a lazy day for the Castrodale family. Andrew and I went for a walk around the neighborhood after lunch and decided that while we wouldn't want to live somewhere that always had snow on the ground, we love it when it snows in North Carolina. No one knows what to do around here when it snows and it slows everything down. It's peaceful. So we're taking advantage of what has turned into a four-day weekend and we're cozied up by the biggest window in our apartment, reading and staying warm. Let it snow.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

here's a riddle

Where do two poor newlyweds go for their anniversary? Anything creative you'd care to share?

We'd like to go somewhere, even if it's just for a night, but we can't do anything crazy. It's been a fun little game since Andrew lost his job to see how much money we can save. It's tempting to spend it all on a mini vacation, but that would just be silly.

Honestly, Andrew's layoff has been such an amazing blessing in disguise. The two biggest issues have been (a) loss of income and (b) Andrew's bored. But the Lord is providing above and beyond financially and Andrew finds clever ways to stretch a few activities across an entire day. I'm so thankful for the peace we have about it all. After the way his job was before, it's refreshing to actually have time to spend together. For the first eight months we were married we had to fight exhaustion for half an hour of conversation before bedtime. It's fun to watch a movie in the middle of the week and not be up until midnight.

God is good, yes?

Friday, January 2, 2009

Christmas Travelogue

Get ready for this folks, it's doozy...

Day 1: Christmas Eve

Drove to Youngsville to see the family + Nanny Johnson
Stayed up late with Daddy watching Christmas Vacation

Day 2: Christmas Day

Woke up early and open presents. Just like before I became a married grown-up.
Enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner, courtesy of mi padre.
Drove to Concord for Christmas II.

Day 3: Concord Christmas

Woke up extra early and spent the entire day opening presents, breaking for breakfast and snacks along the way. (I must say that my first Christmas experience with the Castrodale clan was extremely fun.)
Showered and ate ANOTHER fantastic Christmas dinner.

Day 4: The Bowl Game

Thanks to Laura, Andrew and I got tickets to see the Tar Heels play in the Bowl Game in Charlotte. Despite the loss, we had a great time.

Day 5: Black Mountain Christmas

Let the madness begin!
Witnessed and participated in the first (maybe annual) family talent show for Nanny and Papa - also known as Nanny and Papa's Family Christmas Roadshow. A few highlights: Singing the Juno song with Tyler, Merrit's stand up routine and my parents as Sonny and Cher.
More eating.