8th and final date of Hanukkah!

        Our 8th and final date of Hanukkah consisted of a night in (we like nights in because it's very cheap!) playing Jenga and having a nice glass of wine! It was a very nice date, because we were both really stressed about returning to work/school from the holiday break because we knew life would be so hectic again. We were having trouble relaxing the whole of the day because of the dreaded next day. But, something just clicked and we realized that fretting and fussing wasn't helping anyone. We just snapped out of it (and by we I mostly mean me, because I really was pouting) and just had fun! Jenga was a total blast...Toby won...dang it. But hey, I'll get him back!

So now, we are back to work and I start school to finish my beloved English degree  next Monday (YIKES!) and I'm quite nervous because I haven't been in school in a while and I'm pretty busy as it is, but G-D willing, I'll get through it and do quite well! In the meantime, I'm loving these precious and relaxing prints that I found via the little things we do via Blanca Gomez on Etsy.

So sweet!

~B~

Survey Saturday (late) and date # 7

Yes, yes. Tis late again. But better late than never! Toby and I went out and celebrated with some lovely friends and had a total blast ringing in 2012...one of our best yet! Stay tuned after the survey for a belated 7th date of Hanukkah!

1. The best things about 2011 was celebrating my one year anniversary with Toby, all our crazy parties with the youth group, making newlywed memories, getting to know G-D a little more and so much more!

2. A lesson I learned in 2011 was that if you want what you have to be better, you have to maintain it. This goes for so many things like a clean house, friendships, marriage, but I learned it most with G-D. The only way He can teach me more and the only way I can be closer and more like Him is to SPEND TIME with Him. It's an every day thing! 

3. 2011 was a big year for instagram and blogging! I started both in 2011 and really loved them both! This little blog has been fun for me, informative for family, and hopefully fun for others! And let's face it, instagram is addictive. Obsessed much? 

4. In 2012 I plan to start school again  (gulp), cook more challenging foods (double gulp), and be more organized...eek!

5. A movie I'm excited about in 2012 is HANDS DOWN "The Hobbit"!!! Holy crap, I seriously cannot wait for this movie. I have been slowly reading the book and have LOVED it. It's gonna be amazing.

6. My motto for 2012 will be to stand firm, and see how G-D works! I'm not saying that 2012 will be bad, but like any year it will have challenges...this time, I pray that I have the faith to stand firm and trust G-D in EVERY situation and not doubt. I've seen Him get me out of EVERY trouble...He won't stop now :)

And now...

Our 7th date of Hanukkah was lunch date in bed watching Monster House!

LOVE this movie!

Have a good one y'all!

~B~

Our 5th and 6th dates: party and closing of Hanukkah

Well Hanukkah is officially over (sniff sniff) but our dates shall continue until we hit 8!

For our 5th date, we went to a big Hanukkah party for our whole synagogue. It was a total blast! We got to dress up all cute and dance the night away! We rarely go out like that, and it was so nice to go out with people we loved and cared about :)

Blurry party pic!

Paaaaartay!

Some of our sweet young friends did the serving...precious :)

Our 6th date was spent in pajamas, eating hot soup and lighting the menorahs for the final time. It was sad to watch the candles burn down, but that's what makes it special. And G-D's spirit is still with us, no matter what holiday it is! It was pretty nice :)

All our menorahs!

Remember this guy??

Our 7-branch menorah (Isaiah 55)

Bad photo...happy us!

Soup made from fresh veggies from the hanukkah party!

I miss Hanukkah already!! 

~B~

Our 4th date of Hanukkah: Movie date and mini road trip!

        For our 4th date, we took a mini road trip, about an hour away, down to Morrow, GA (because that is the closest AMC theater to us) to see Sherlock Holmes 2! For Toby's birthday last year he got 2 gift certificates for the AMC theatre, so we had a little bit left from our last movie date so we took that and some Hanukkah money from my mom and went out on the town! It was Christmas Day so obviously everything was closed and it looked like all of the town had been deserted.

        Before the movie however, we stopped by this place called "Old Towne Morrow" which was unfinished and currently the creepiest thing I've ever seen. It looked perfect and very bright, but totally abandoned and it was a cloudy day, so we basically felt like we were driving through a scary movie. So naturally, we had to get out and walk around.

Welcome to Creepyville.

Now TELL ME that doesn't look scary.

Good heavens. That's terrifying to me. haha.

I had naught to fear, for I had Dr. Watson with me...hehe.

In front of one of the creepy houses. Cute couple, eh? :)

Well, after we left creepyville we headed to the theatre to see Sherlock Holmes which was AMAZING. Seriously, if you even remotely liked the first one, you will head-over-heals LOVE this one. We had some funny moments in the theatre as well while waiting for the movie to start. 

Toby defeated a Sith Lord while waiting. (Sorry for the quality; silly iPod.)

The long-awaited Hunger Games is coming out on my birthday!! ee!!

My favorite picture of the day :)

What a fun date!

~B~

Our 3rd date of Hanukkah: Making Latkes!

Making potato latkes, a traditional Jewish food at Hanukkah, is something I had never done by myself.
So, in light of the holiday season, we decided that our 3rd date would be to make them together for lunch after Shabbat service! It was so much fun. Toby cut up the veggies for Israeli Salad, and I burned my flesh off while making the darn latkes haha. It wasn't bad for my first time! The recipe was easy so it didn't take a rocket scientist, luckily. Also, the kid's classes (called Shabbat School) at our synagogue had too many boxes of sufganiyot (jelly filled donuts) and they gave us a box! So woohoo for us! Needless to say, we had sour stomachs after so much sugar and fried foods, but it was worth it!

Also, we finally got to catch up on our beloved show, "The Office". We broke down and bought season 7 and so far, it is soooo funny! No spoilers, please!

Mixin' up the ingredients!

Before and after!

Ready to eat!

Sweet Toby chopping up the vegetables.

Sweeney Todd (haha)...

...and Mrs. Lovett. :)

SEASON 7! He shoots, he scores...

Now I realize that as far as Hanukkah goes, I'm running out of days. But, who says the dates can't extend past Hanukkah? No one :) So I'm still excited for more!

~B~

Our 2nd date of Hanukkah: Breakfast and movie in bed!

         Toby and I are HUGE fans of sleeping in and watching movies. So, for our second date of Hanukkah we watched one of my all time favorite kids movies, "Muppet Treasure Island"! Toby, like the sweetheart he is, went out and bought it for me while I was at work because I had wanted it on DVD for a long time. We woke up late, got some leftover donuts, made coffee for me and tea for him,  put the movie in, and enjoyed! My pictures are terrible quality because they are with my iPod and I don't care enough to go get my really good camera and upload them and Photoshop the crap out of them. I was too into the moment :)

Mmmm...

Our feeties and the movie! Awful picture, but lovely memory!

I love cozy dates! :)

~B~

p.s. What's your favorite kid's movie?

Our 1st date of Hanukkah: Picnic at home

Well, for those of us who are...
A. newlyweds
                 B. watching our spending
                    C. all or some of the above
...dates can be kind of expensive! So, in my definition, a date does not necessarily mean going OUT. Sometimes you can bring the romance IN. Hence, our picnic at home. We got most of the items from our previous picnic and laid it out on our beautiful Hanukkah tablecloth that my mom got us! We added some donuts, since that is a specific Hanukkah treat, and we lit the menorahs all around the house. It was very beautiful and cozy. Then we sat on the blanket and watched...The Empire Strikes Back! haha!
It was a lovely evening and I can't wait to share our next dates!

The first candle of Hanukkah :)

Our cute mini menorahs that we put on the coffee table by our blanket.

The picnic!

Oh yeah...

Pretty tablecloth! Those Hebrew letters, "nun, gimmel, hey, and shin"
stand for the phrase "a great miracle happened there."

Happy birds in pyjamas :)

See you soon!

~B~