Resolutions

I never shared my New Year's resolutions...perhaps because I didn't want to be held accountable...but they are: More salads, more nature and more service.

So far, I'm doing decent on the salad front. I should have been more specific, though, and made it my goal to eat healthy salads... :-)

I'm batting zero on the nature front. I need to put something on my calendar and follow through. Winter is undoubtedly the BEST time to hike: No snakes, no mosquitos, no ticks...do I need to continue? Plus, what's better than reaching your destination and letting a hot cup of tea warm you from the inside??? There's no other way to hike! I especially like hikes with a pay-off at the end—i.e. waterfalls! If you know of a scenic hike in my area, please let me know.

Service, on the other hand, is hard to measure. We do what we can, but there is always a nagging feeling we could and should be doing more. I just want to feel stretched—in a good way—this year.

I guess these are more goals for my life than resolutions for a new year. I'd also really like to travel somewhere fun with my husband—even if it's a quick trip—but we'll have to wait and see if that's feasible with all we have planned this year.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm also trying to get back on the blog bandwagon. For those of you interested in our home projects, I hope to start a few of those up soon, once we've recovered from the holidays. Feel free to send me encouragement and inspiration. Better yet, come by and hold me accountable!

Terry

My husband has a pet terrarium. We named it Terry. I find him in our living room at odd hours of the day and night staring at it. I wish I could climb into his mind and see what he sees when he stares into that little world of wonder.

Under One Roof

A lot of things have been happening in the Melville household since the holidays. I don't know where to begin, in fact.

Jonathan and I have a new roommate. My best friend/former college roommate, Lezlee, is temporarily living with us while she makes a life transition. She (plus her dachshund, Stella!) joined our household just before the new year. We're all looking at this as an adventure—we expect this arrangement will have ups and downs—fortunately we love each other dearly and possess the unrivaled gift of communication.

The biggest down of all: On Jan. 5, Lezlee received the devastating news that her mother, Christine—the woman responsible for most of Lezlee's artistic passion, determined spirit, humor and so much more—had passed away of heart failure. What does a friend do or say in that moment to bring comfort? All you can do is hold each other and cry. And that's what we've done. Needless to say, Lezlee, her father and her two sisters, have been surrounded by love and prayer. But, it's been rough. I've watched them go through this with grace, and I admire them deeply. I'm in awe of how this family has rallied together as they've held each other close and been each other's primary source of comfort. Chris would be proud.

I've relearned a very important lesson over the past few weeks. Lezlee—and my other dear friends—are a part of my family. I thank God for them. And family sticks together through life's ups and downs. Please pray for this family—and don't forget to tell your family how much you love them. And do it often.

NYE Perfection

My New Year's Eve was sweet. What about yours?

Holiday Photo Dump

We all decided to pose with the reindeer antlers:

Even Honey was a good sport:

My mother-in-law always decorates her tree w/ a lifetime of memories:

(Jono & his dad)

(Jono & his mom)

And here are the rest of the photos from our present-opening endeavors:

Christmas!!!

You know what this time of year means???

TIME OFF WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I literally cannot wait to have all of my loved ones packed in my home once again this year for a hugondous Christmas lunch. It's 4 days until Christmas and I've done NOTHING to prepare...and I don't even care!

I hope you all have special plans with special people. Everyone deserves that -- especially at the holidays. If you do NOT have a place to be and food to eat, please get in touch with me, we'll have food aplenty!

Also, per our usual, we have no plans for New Year's Eve. I'm thinking we throw a massive party very last minute and beg people to show up ;-) Or maybe we'll steal away and dine somewhere fancy??

I'll leave you with a picture of my goofy husband that he actually gave away as a White Elephant gift at a recent Christmas party...

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

Glad Tidings

The Melville home is where it's at during the Christmas season.

I didn't launch my blog until after last Christmas, which was my first as Mrs. Melville, but we went ALL out!

Most of this year's decor is a recreation. Here are some pictures of our home this season:

(J is the present-wrapper in our home!)

By the way, I married the King of Christmas. Jonathan got this love of Christmas naturally from his mother and his late grandfather. Here are some pictures from his parents' house this Christmas:

(This is a 9-foot tree! There is not a spare centimeter for another ornament, either.)

(J's lil sis, Honey)

Here is the Christmas card we mailed this year (in case we didn't have enough money to get you one!):

(Still a little sad we didn't have time to take a funny pic in ugly Christmas sweaters with our fur child, Chloe)

Hope no matter your plans, you have a VERY merry Christmas and a happy New Year! :-)