Ian and I had our First Christmas!

Our first christmas together! :) We both had a lot of fun shopping for eachother (and spoiling eachother) even though we had said we wouldnt. Due to the snow Ian and I opened our presents a little early at our apartment and then headed to Kent for the next four days to be with friends and ians family without getting stuck at home. We had a great Christmas together and with Ians family. We had Christmas eve dinner with his family and then headed to the Crabtree's and each opened our matching PJ's from tracey and watched a movie. It was a fun night and very festive with the snow coming down hard. :) Christmas morning was nice and relaxing and it was very fun to spend together. All in all, our first christmas was very special and we had a good time being with the people we love the most. (even though I missed my sisters, and mama very much!) We were definately glad to get home and sleep in a bed again though. Plus, we brought the newest addition to our family home. Ian and Tracey suprised me with a little kitten. We named him duckie and hes adorable. So far very well trained as well...for an 8 week old kitten.

I'm sad to see the christmas tree's come down and the lights put away. But I know it will be right around the corner, it always seems to come so fast. So its back to work and reality we go...well after new years!

and the snow just keeps coming down...

we got another six inches last night and are expected to get another 4-8 inches tonight. It has officially been snowing for more than a week now....and the accumulations of all the snow is really adding up. Making leaving the house and going places...a very difficult task. With Christmas only days away, I am hoping that I get my white Christmas...but now I'm worried about getting to Kent to celebrate it when family and friends! Hopefully the roads at least clear up a bit!! Also, notice that Ians moped is slowly dissappearing into the whiteness. :)

A little change for the winter...

Along with the fun amounts of snow this week...I decided to do something different. I decided to color my hair brown. I didnt really think about it and a girl at work wanted to do it...so while I was coloring hers...(well why hers was processing) she did mine. Oh the benefits of being a stylist. You can change your hair at any second. :) And I did. It was fun and I like it. Ian says he likes it too...so for now I am a brunette. haha

The snow has been tons of fun and its sooo pretty. I made Ian wake up at almost 1 am last night to take a walk in the snow with me...it was so pretty. and it was coming down hard. I lovehow when its snows at night its like white outside, this snow lights up everything. it was very fun, well for me. Ian was a bit annoyed. haha Getting to work today was a little bit more difficult. Thank goodness I live so close. I'm still praying for a white christmas, so we will see. If not, it sure came pretty close!! But I am getting tired of being sooooo freezing! Brrr.

Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow.

It's started snowing!!!! The first snow of the year is always the most exciting. But I'm pretty much still like all the kids who pray for snow around this time of year, so the snowfall has been quite a treat for me. :) Its supposed to be cold and snowy all week, I hope it will be snowy on christmas. Unlikely, but how amazing! So heres a few pics of the first snow in Federal Way!

Pictures from Thanksgiving!

Lots of driving, Tons of yummy food, One big family...Thanksgiving 2008

Ian and I just shared our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. It was sooo much fun. We decided to drive south to Redding, California to spend the holiday with my two sisters and their families. We left on Wednesday afternoon at around 4pm...and hit big time traffic. Needless to say it took us 2 1/2 hours to get to Lacey which would normally take under ONE! But after that things speeded up and we made it their at 2:30am EXACTLY (I totally won the bet, Ian had guessed 2am and I had guessed 2:30...and as soon as we saw the redding sign it was precisely 2:30am...not that I would ever rub it in or anything) ! We spent thanksgiving day at the Bonnins (kevin and jenny's friends) and Breanna, Pete, Allie, Michael, Alex, Kevin, Jenny, Kacia, Rylin, Lincoln, Ian, myself and the bonnin's shared a great thanksgiving meal filled with lots of kids and laughter! Ian and I played with the kids outside, taking turns pushing them on the swing and playing with them in the leaves. The rest of the week, we spent lots of time just hanging out and relaxing. I was able to see my good friends (Tessa and Bryn), share time with my sisters and eat some In N' Out!!! yum. Jenny's kids look bigger everytime I see them...they are all soooo cute! And Allie finally passed me up on her height. Now my 12 year old niece is taller than me....depressing I know. Haha I cut a lot of hair on my vacation too...Allie, Michael, Alex, Kevin, Kevin's dad, Tessa's sister and Kacia. It was tons of fun. But, its good to be home and get ready for christmas. I set up our little Charlie brown christmas tree today and suprised Ian with a few christmas decorations to make our little apartment look somewhat festive! Overall, the trip was great and it was definately good to see all of my family!!!

Learning more everyday!

Heres a little sneek into whats going on in my heart...I love when people get excited about God. Like truly excited when they talk about him. This week I realized I want to be one of those people, the kind that radiates when they talk about what they believe in. I had a long conversation with my boss at work, she was just telling me about different things about her church and what she was passionate about and learning. Also, We talked about how marriages only grow and glorify the lord when he is a the center. This was brought up when I asked her to pray for a friend of mine (who is struggling in her marriage), and she just unloaded all kinds of knowledge and advice I hadnt even thought about. It was so cool to just chat with someone one on one about our Lord. I learned a lot in the hour or so that we talked and she totally opened up her heart to help me with someone she didnt even know. And it really made me realize I have so much more to learn. She told me how her husband died a few years ago, and apparently he wasnt a christian during the majority of their marriage, she told me how much they struggled because of their differences. And how much more amazing their marriage became when he came to know the lord. Unfortuantely that only lasted for two months while he was in the hospital passing away. I thought that was terribly sad, but she told me it was the greatest gift ever, she didnt care that their marriage was hard for 32 years, only that for two months it was the best thing ever.She genuinely felt lucky to have those two months and was able to forgive the past 32 years. How incredible to be able to say that. She told me she used to walk around the park and pray to god "father forgive him for he knows not what he does", and that she would simply forgive him for whatever he had done, or said and promised herself their marriage would only be able to work if she loved god and trusted him and so they stayed together. It really hit me, and made me realize the impact of those words. And that if I could use that in my daily life and only worry about the things that will matter tomorrow, my life would be so much easier.

So I just wanted to say that, well first off she is an amazingly strong woman and I am lucky to have such an open hearted christian boss. But also, that I strive to live my life according to Gods law and the way he desires me to. I want to be someone that can talk about my faith in a way that impacts other people the way carol impacted me. I want my testimony to draw others to christ and encourage them. So I pray that God will bring those oppertunities into my life, and that my eyes will be open and my heart prepared when he does.

Inital thoughts of a continued journey

I feel I should preface this entry with an introduction. This is Ian (sorry to let you down, Jenny and Breanna). Let's just say that most of the already few readers of this blog don't come here for me. But I've wanted to have a blog too, so who says the girls get to have all the fun (where did my masculinity run away to on that one?)? Let's cut to the chase:

Same story, different day. I've been to college. A real university at that. And not to toot my own horn, but I also spent 5 years at a community college thanks to Uncle Sam and, for the most part, useless high school councelors who seemed not to care that there was no checks and balance system in place to prevent un-motivated teens from attending neither college classes nor high school classes (hooray for run-on sentences!). And not wanting all those credits to go to waste (I was just starting to study the topics that captivate me) I decided to venture into the mysterious unknown world of online schooling.

I am a couple of weeks into my first class at American Military University. It's a university-wide course called "Intro to Online Learning", so I can't say much for the curriculum as it's obviously not what I came to study. But as far as the ideas and practices, it seems to be going pretty well. My major concern coming in was that I am not much of a self-starter when it comes to academia. I've had no problems so far, though, because I really want this, and I'm excited to start on my major. Almost all of my pre-req's transferred over, as well as some classes toward my BA, so for the most part I will only be taking History classes after this one's knocked out.

The whole idea of online schooling appeals to me because I can maintain my job and my responsibilities at the same time as finishing my degree. In practice it works perfectly, as I go to work early and come home early, oftentime while Kaitlin's still at work. So for now I am happy with my new adventure, but ask me again in a couple of months to see how I'll be enjoying multiple classes that aren't as much of a breeze

Marine Corps Ball 2008

On Saturday Ian and I attended the marine corps ball at Fort Lewis. Every year they celebrate the marine corps birthday, and in return I get to dress up and get my pictures taken like prom all over again. I had my hair done at work in between doing other peoples hair, and then quickly drove home and got my dress on. We went with one of Ians marine buddies who's fiance had to stay home with the baby. So the three of us, Rayce, Ian and myself headed south. The ball was a lot of fun. Food was great and the company was nice as well. We got our picture taken and I wish I could figure out how to post it, but it was pretty funny with the three of us being silly. Not as many guys brought dates this year so it wasnt quite as much fun, but we still danced and had a good time. So heres a few pictures for everyone to see! Look how handsome corporal Watkins looks! Oh and it was quite fun being called mrs. Watkins all night when last year I was just his date. :)

Thanks to Jenny...tag I'm it!

Just a quick side note, this is Ian and I on hallween dressed up as Juno and Bleeker from the movies Juno. Our costumes were a hit and we had a great time!!

After reading Jenny's blog the other night Ian came running into the bedroom, and said "kaitlin you have to do something for your sister" So I cam and read her blog and it looks like I got tagged. I have to write 6 fascinating things about myself, which I think might be tricky. :) But I will do my best to make them somewhat interesting. So here it goes, I have been tagged. Enjoy!!

1.) I cannot stand to do the dishes. I absolutely HATE every part of it. My hands get all soggy, the food gets all mushy, and I dont really do a great job of rinsing. Now that I am married I finally have someone to do them for me. And I cannot express what a relief it is to have someone else to do them. I literally get sick to my stomache touching dirty dishes, even if they are mine. So thank you Ian, for taking care of the dishes everyday! I would have a very messy kitchen if it werent for you. :)

2.) I have recently decided I would like to open my own salon someday. I have all of the ideas and images in my head of what I would want it to look like and how I would want it play out. I think it would be so amazing to be able to have my own salon and finally make all of the rules. Plus, lets face it, someday when I am older I wont be able to do hair myself. So my newest dream is to have a salon. Now I just have tons of money to save before I can make it come true. Oh and I'll need a business partner. So my sisters better start saving too if they want to be apart of it. hehe We could call it "micheles Irenes Salon and Spa" I think it would be a great tribute.

3.) I could sleep all day long if I had the oppertunity. I love to sleep in, as long as the room is dark and its not loud, I could sleep forever. I love that my job allows me to sleep in late. And I figure I might as well take advantage of my sleep for as long as I can before someday when I have babies to wake me up at the crack of dawn. Waking up before 9am is actually difficult to me, sad I know. But I have been in the habit of going to bed at like 1am and waking up 10am for like 3 months now...so it will be hard to break my bad habit. :)

4.) I love Tims Cascade Jalepeno chips. Ever since I was in jr. High my big brother James and I would sit and watch tv and eat those spicy chips. They tasted so hot, I would have to have a glass of milk next to me so that when my mouth felt like it was on fire I could ease the burn. I have grown immune to the spiciness and could eat a whole bag if I didnt know how bad they are for you. But I still love them, and I still get cravings for them. And people still give me a hard time. They are mostly considered a guy food...and the smell is quite potent. Still, I love them..and my husband is starting to let them grow on him too.

5.) My new goal is to save money. I absolutely love to shop. Even when I dont have money, even when I dont need anything, even when I cant find anything. I love shopping. It cheers me up...and I am addicted. I have learned recently that I need to do less shopping. And spend less money on shopping...apparently it has become an issue. So my goal is to shop less, in fact, my goal is to not really shop at all. It will be difficult, but I am going to give it my all. You make think I'm kidding, but I really like to buy new things. And I even go as far as convincing myself I need something, just so that i can buy it. So I will be saving my money and not spending it.

6.) Lastly, I love Dawson's Creek the TV show. I am not even old enough to have watched it when it was on TV...but somehow two years ago I fell in love with Dawson's Creek. I have all six seasons on disk and have watched the complete series twice now in only the last two years. I love every part of it. Last month when i wasnt working I watched all six seasons...in a month. Ian thinks I'm crazy but I could watch it over and over. I love the way its written, I love the charectors, and the stories, and I love Pacey. haha So there you have it, my confession is out. I love a teenage soap opera fromt he early 90's.

Portland Marathon Oct. 4th

It took me a while to figure this new blog thing out or else I would have wrote sooner. Two weeks ago Scott, Kaitlin and I drove down to Oregon for the Portland Marathon. It is my latest step in my ambitous staircase life goal of running 50 marathons.

Luckily my brother Nate lives in Portland, so he was able to chauffer us around town getting registered Saturday night. We got to crash at his house that night, and since the rest of them didn't have to wake up super early, they stayed up watching The Office and others while I racked out.

I woke up a little before 5AM and my nice (or just insomniac) brother drove me downtown for some warmups around 5:30AM. My pre-race goal was to brake the 4 hour mark. This was an ambitious task, considering my only previous marathon I finished at the 4:30 mark.

A long story short, it ended up lightly sprinkling throughout about 65% of the race. You wouldn't think it would be a huge setback, and maybe it wasn't, but it definately through me outside of my "zone", as I typically volunteer to take the car instead of run to work when it's raining. All excuses aside, I finished at 4:23, a little ahead of my personal best but significantly slower than my goal. But hey, I figure these first couple ones I should consider just finishing my goal!

I should note that the three amigos (Kaitlin, Scott & Nate) spent the last couple of hours trying to track me down on the coarse. I actually did run into (no pun intended) Scott and Kaitlin chasing me down the sidewalk around mile 21. I was too tired to fake a smile, but I definately appreciated their support.

One fun part of the race was the Widmer Brewing Company building I past with about 3 miles to go. One not so fun part of the race was a couple blocks later when I drank what I thought was a cup of water, and finding out that it was actually beer.

Just a few wedding pics!

I decided to enter the blogging world!

I decided today, while I was looking at my sister's blog that I wanted to have one as well. So here it goes. I got a new job today, I'm really excited about it. Three of the other ladies there are believers and I'm excited about that. The salon is cute, fancy, and really close to my house. Perfect, plus its an Aveda salon which is perfect because I went to an Aveda school and already know the products. Hopefully it turns out to be a true blessing, because after a month of not working, Ian and I could really use some extra money! :) Ian runs the Portland marathon this sunday. We are leaving on Saturday afternoon after his drill. Scott Peterson and I are going to pick him up at fort lewis and leave straight from there. Woo hoo! I cant believe my husband can run 26 miles...I probably cant even run one on a tredmill. I am really proud of him, he is always working hard and he does everything with such stregnth and ease. I am glad I get to be at the finish line to cheer him on!! and most likely carry him to the car cause he will be very sore. :) Well, thats about all thats going on in our lives right now!! Oh and Mars Hill Started this new series on Song of Songs and its only on week two, but so far I am already learning tons! hehe Wish me luck on my new job next week...and Ian good luck running!