Merry Christmas from The Easton's!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!! 

Merry Christmas from The Easton's! We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating this special time of year and are surrounded by family and friends. Jordan and I are lucky to be celebrating with his family and I am thankful to have my family only a phone call away. Santa even found us this morning in Cedar Rapids so we are excited to watch some new movies and spend the day lounging, eating good food and relaxing with everyone! May your day be warm and filled with memories, love and laughter. :)

Welcome to Jamaica, mon!

Welcome To Ocho Rios!
see it in the bushes?!

After loving up a day in the sun by having a day at sea, we arrived at Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our first port. We were both pretty pumped for this stop because we were going ziplining through the canopy of the rainforest! I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous but I definitely was scared! Our group was taken by bus throughout the Jamaica country side and we drove right along the coast the whole time. On one side we had the view of the ocean which was beautiful and on the other side, we had the view of the mountain and rainforest area which was also a beautiful view. Jordan and I felt very sheltered because we knew Jamaica was a poor country but we didn't realize just how poor it really is until visiting there. We saw kids walking barefoot through gravel and on the side of the roads wearing nothing but scraps of clothes and they were all skin and bones. We saw some kids playing with rocks and sticks but still laughing and smiling with one another. There were huts and 3-sided "houses" throughout the countryside and a lot of run down looking areas. It was clear that people live there but it was hard to imagine how they live there. Seeing all of that made us feel very fortunate for everything we have in our own lives and made us take a step back to realize, we really do have it all and there are countless more people who have little to nothing or are worse off than us. It was a real eye-opener that's for sure...

We drove to St. Ann's and it was about a thirty minute bus ride. Once we got to the mountain, we met the ziplining crew who got all us suited up and in the gear so we were ready to zipline. We rode up a little higher in the mountain then hiked through the rainforest until we got to the first landing to start the ziplining. There were 8 totals lines and one rappel line we went down. In total, it was a 4 hour tour but it went by super fast and was a huge thrill! There were some sorority girls, an older couple and another couple around our age that made up our group for the afternoon so we had all sorts of age ranges and a good mix of guys and girls. After the initial line, all my fears were gone and it was nothing but soaring and taking in all the sights and sounds after that! It was an amazing feeling to be going over some waterfalls and some beautiful flowers and wildlife. Thankfully, we didn't see any snakes or anything but lots of vibrant colors and cool sounds! It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so thankful we decided to pull the trigger and go for it! 

see that pole in the middle? That's where we drove up to and hiked to for the start of our ziplining adventure!

country side driving along Jamaica

geared up and ready to go!

weeee! here we go!!!

look, one handed!

half way done!
taking a break on one of the landing piers

walking back to the boat and had to stop to pose under this sign....

across from the beach!
we didn't want to pay just to go stand on the beach so we enjoyed it from afar!

Jordan posing with the boat

The Carnival Destiny in all her glory ported at Ocho Rios!

We decided that if we were to ever go back to Jamaica that it would definitely have to be at an all-inclusive resort. Once we got out around the little shop areas, it was pretty shady and lots of people approached us trying to get us to buy anything and everything. It was pretty alarming and not really our style so we happily went back to the ship to eat some lunch and lounge since there was only an hour left until we set sail again anyway. Ziplining was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone who ever has the opportunity to do it! It was a rush and exhilarating all at once and left us feeling pumped up...I said we are one step closer now to being able to get on The Amazing Race after ziplining! 

Well, it's Christmas Eve (day) right now so that means it is time for me to shower and get some stuff packed so we can head to Jordan's parents for Christmas! We aren't fully celebrating until the 26th because his sister works tomorrow and I work the morning of the 26th but we will get some family time in now anyway... What would Christmas be without family anyway?! We are really looking forward to our yearly Christmas tradition of watching The Polar Express tonight and hopefully Santa finds us tomorrow morning in Cedar Rapids! I hope you all have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas! Enjoy all of the family time together! I'm really missing mine right now and wish I could see them all tomorrow or later this week.... but hopefully it is sooner than later when we are all reunited again! Until then, I'm sending lots of love and Christmas spirit to them all! 

Friday Funnies - 12.7

Christmas is two and a half weeks away from today! So that means it is time to start pulling out the ugly sweaters, singing some Christmas carols and indulging in plenty of the best Christmas movies around! Jordan is always down for a good chick flick and it turns out, many of the Christmas movies end up being the typical romantic-comedy type but then there are those that are just down right hysterical. Like Christmas Vacation for example. It never gets old. And it is one of Jordan's all-time favorite Christmas movies so we will be watching it this weekend! I think it gets funnier each time I watch it and I always seem to notice something new! So this Friday Funny is going to be dedicated entirely to Christmas Vacation to help spread some holiday cheer and really get everyone in the holiday spirit! Enjoy the weekend!

image via Tumblrand that is exactly who he will find when he comes down our chimney!

 and here's hoping that this will be the hap hap happiest Christmas for everyone!

25 Days of Christmas!!!!

It is December 1st and that means......it is the start of ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas!!!!!! Jordan and I have been having a Christmas movie marathon all day today so far by watching The Family Stone, The Family Man, Three Days and now ABC Family is showing ELF! Seriously, best loungefest and laziest day ever! And we have loved every minute of it! By successfully wasting away today, we have vowed to be productive tomorrow and keep each other focused to get some work done! But as for today and the rest of tonight, we are going to enjoy being snuggled up and soak up some holiday cheer! ELF is one of our Top 5 favorite Christmas movies so what better movie to end the day on! Good news, I saw a dog today!

image via Pinterest
Buddy The Elf! What's your favorite color?

Well one week later....

After indulging in an ungodly amount of calories over the past five days, enduring too many belly laughs to count, and working the cramps out of my face from smiling....we are in fact, alive and survived Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Cross Family. And I am so sad that it is all over. The time definitely went by way, way too fast. My parents got to Iowa last Monday night and we all enjoyed some pizza and beers along with some laughs and good conversations. They headed up to Wisconsin on Tuesday while Jordan and I had one last day of work/school for the week. We packed up all of our stuff and hit the road first thing Wednesday morning and didn't stop going until we made it back home yesterday afternoon!!

Thursday was Thanksgiving obviously but more importantly, it was Teagan's 5th birthday! Holy smokes, where does the time go?! I can't believe that she is five now.... She is growing up into such a smart and sassy, hilarious and beautiful little girl! It is so fun watching her grow up and I'm lucky that I have gotten to play such an active role in her life. It would make me sad being so far away from her and Kemper that they don't know me when I come around! Anyway, we celebrated T's birthday after Thanksgiving dinner. She was spoiled with gifts, had a blast beating up on a pinata and then topped it off with cake....which I made! Yummm homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter icing! We capped the night off by having a bon fire once the kids went to bed....

We then quickly shifted gears and went right into Christmas mode on Friday! We watched the Hawks lose, again, first thing which was a total bummer. Not only did they lose to Nebraska which gives them a share at the Big 10 title but it also confirmed they are for sure not going to a bowl game.  Extra sucky. We got over it quickly with a few drinks that we had during the game at least. Then after successfully stuffing our faces again with the Thanksgiving leftovers, we let the Christmas festivities begin! My mom had planned a "fashion show" for all of us...she made all of us tons of awesome projects and crafts! It included some crochet infinity scarves and gloves, fleece hats and jackets and lots of new Iowa gear. Score! My mom just keeps blowing all of our minds with how crafty she is and it rocks! Presents were a big hit with the kids and watching their eye light up with each gift they opened was enough to keep all of us happy. They are so cute and were so thrilled with everything they got...very heart warming to watch! After the kiddos went to bed and so did our parents, things got real crazy. Us adult "kids" played a new game that Scott and Kat got that is called "Cards Against Humanity." Basically, it is like a very very inappropriate version of Apples To Apples. But ridiculously hilarious and awesome. I'm not sure if we have ever laughed that hard before while playing a game before.....it will definitely be played again at our next reunion!

Saturday morning however, came way toooo early! We all hit the road to Charles City and made it to Grandma's! Just when I was thinking I couldn't possibly eat any more food, I managed to stuff myself completely. Again. There's just something about Grandma's home cooking that is irresistible. We all played several rounds of cards together and Jordan finally won two games! Third year of being at the Cross Christmas was the charm and he hit the jackpot twice! Which made me happy because then I didn't have to pay in anything, mwahahaha! 

And just like that, our four days together came to an end once we all woke up on Sunday morning. We were all avoiding saying good-bye to one another because we knew what it meant. That our parents would be driving back to Texas and that meant that none of us know the next time we will see them. And that sucks. Just leaves a giant pit in my stomach. As if I wasn't trying hard enough to fight back the tears, hugging my Dad goodbye after he just said goodbye to his own mom and sister with tears in his eyes and his noticeably choked up voice, was really tough. My dad can always put on a smile though and gave one last bear hug before getting in the car. Let's just say I was a hot mess of emotions on the first thirty minutes of our drive back home....

I'm thankful beyond thankful for the family I have in my life and these past four days just weren't enough. But I am so grateful for the time we did get to have together, the laughs we shared, the hugs and love we exchanged and the memories with each other that we made. I love how much Jordan fits in with my family and how we can all have so much fun with each other without having to do much. I can't wait until we are all together again and am already looking forward to that. I hope the day comes when we all live within a few hours of each other again because this whole living in Texas thing sucks for all of us! Wahh real life! Well I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving and the time spent with family and some delicious food! I know we definitely did and now I'm dreading the pile-up of school and work stuff that I have been ignoring...well, happy Monday!

Christmas is in the air!

It's the most wonderful time of the year and we decided it was time to put up our Christmas tree and decorations! This is because of a few things: 1. we are celebrating Christmas next week with my whole family after Thanksgiving since we'll all be together already... 2. we are going to be gone for a week in December so we wanted to be able to fully enjoy the decorations.... and 3. it is well past November 1st so that means it's time for the holiday spirit!!!!

and the stockings were hung by the mantle with care...
and Buddy the Elf makes us laugh out loud into the air!

can't wait to celebrate our first Christmas
as Mr. & Mrs. 

Paisley is the best present under the tree

Christmas is by far Jordan's all-time favorite holiday and rightly so. It is such a magical time of year. And I'm thankful we both have families that cherish it so much and who we get to spend this time of the year with! Ahh I'm so ready to see my family next week...can't wait for all of us to be reunited!

Glitter Wine Bottles...and a very lazy Sunday

What quickly went from being a very productive day between crafting, decorating and grading papers, has now turned into a very lazy Sunday. I'm not sure what just hit me but damn, it does not feel good. There's been a stomach flu bug going around work and in the office and I think it finally caught me. Woof. I'm glad I got one craft in and finished earlier though so now I can be posted up on the couch in the fetal position the rest of the night between trips to the bathroom. Here's what I made for my first Christmas craft of the year! I have been saving wine bottles each time I finish one and waiting to use them for various crafts so I finally decided it was time to put some to use! This was a very easy, quick and cheap project that turned out really cute!

Glitter Wine Bottles!

so festive for our mantle!

Here is what you will need:

-wine bottles of any shape and size

-mod podge

-loose glitter of any color

-sponge brush

cost: about $4.00! I already had the wine bottles and brush along with the mod podge but it is usually $4.99 at any craft/hobby store (and always make sure to use a 40% off coupon!)

Directions:

1. soak the bottles in hot soapy water for about 30 minutes to remove the labels. This took the labels off entirely for the most part then I wiped them off with a sponge where it didn't come off. Dry bottles entirely.

2. mix mod podge with loose glitter. Make sure there is plenty of glitter in the mod podge (pour in so much that you'll almost think "wow that's way too much glitter!") You want to make sure it is heavily concentrated otherwise you'll end up doing ten layers!

3. paint on one layer and make sure it's even other wise it will dry and cause bumps and clumps of glitter

4. I rotated bottles so I painted one layer of gold, then moved onto red, and then green...and just rotated them around. I ended up doing two full layers and then touch ups where necessary!

I can't wait to try out some more Christmas crafts and projects that I have seen online and obviously on Pinterest! Maybe this year everyone will be getting homemade projects for presents...made with lots of love of course!

Heartbreak Hawks

The Hawks did the unthinkable today....they blew the game and lost. At home. On parent's weekend and senior day. So devastating. The game was a pretty boring one to watch but considering it was sunny and warm in the mid-60s and we got tickets for free, we were thankful to just be at Kinnick and watching our hawks! Win or lose, we're still hawk fans! With it being Veteran's Day weekend, they also had a full-field flag and a really cool half-time show that representing each branch of the military services. Thank you to all of the veterans, old and young, who have fought for our country and for our rights. We wouldn't be who we are today without you all and we'll always be thankful for all you've done of us! We were happy to enjoy the beautiful weather today because it's looking like tomorrow and the rest of the week had some 30s and 40s on the forecast...I don't think I'm ready for that yet! But I am ready for Christmas decorating which we will be doing tomorrow!

spending the day with the hubs and hawks....perfect Saturday!

I love Kinnick Stadium

Christmas Slump

Well I haven't posted since before Christmas....and now here I am. In a slump. There's something about all the excitement of being surrounded by family for days and feeling all of the love we share and endless deep belly laughs. And when it all suddenly comes to an end and I'm left sitting in the silence of my own living room by myself (because of course Jordan offered to work today, why wouldn't he?!) it just really sucks. So I'll recap Christmas to give myself a pick me up:


Best Part about Christmas: Having my whole family back together. Finally. With my sister living in Wisconsin and my parents in Texas, only my brother and I are left in Iowa so it makes family gatherings tough. But pretty bomb ass once we're all together. 


Worst Part about Christmas: Watching my whole family go back our separate ways. Let's just say that when Jordan and I pulled out of my Grandma's driveway on Christmas night after hugging my parents goodbye, I was a hot-bawling-sobbing-snot faced mess. For about half an hour. I determined that there's no worse feeling than saying goodbye to your own parents and not even knowing the next time you'll see them. I'm pissed that I took them living only 2 1/2 hours away for granted this long, damnit anyway.


Worst Christmas present: (I realize this sounds like I'm contradicting my previous post and maybe I am in a way...but keep in mind my parents only gave me one gift. A very practical gift. Everything else I got was just "stuff" which I'm sure I'll use/wear, but I could definitely live without it all) Ok, well maybe the stack of sweaters that are sitting on the counter with the gift receipts waiting to be returned would be a good place to start....although it's the thought that counts, right? But since I didn't get a new laptop which is really the ONLY thing I asked for and legit really need, I'd say opening up the two boxes I thought could have been a computer, was the worst. Tricking people at Christmas is just not ok. 


Best Christmas present:  well my whole family being together is definitely number 1. But if we want to get technical and go with something tangible, I'd have to say my brand new Nimble vacuum from my Dad and Mom!!! I've already used it twice. I'm not sure if they're just trying to "domesticate" me so I'm ready to be a wife or what, but I'll take it. This vac is the BOMB! Turns out between me and Paisley, there's a lot of hair in our carpet that I never realized. Whoops. Anyway, here I am 24 years old and obsessing over a new vacuum and have been texting my friends about it left and right. I need some new hobbies....


I hope everyone has had a fun-filled Christmas and holiday season. It has been truly amazing this year to celebrate with my entire family for a few days and then we celebrated with Jordan's whole family for a few more days. So. Much. Family. We also celebrated the fact that this was my last Christmas as a "Cross" and next year we'll be married so I'll officially be an "Easton." Well at least my heart is full of love and I've never felt more blessed or lucky to have the families I have in my life. But ughh, I feel like I can't even leave the couch because of the obscene amount of food/treats/sweets/pop/beer that I've consumed over the past week. Guess I better put another Christmas gift to work this afternoon...a new kettlebell and Bob Harper workout! Bridal boot camp here I come......of course, that won't happen until I actually get up off the couch to put the DVD in. Shoot.

a Christmas rant.

Well so far my break has went something like this....I go to bed between 11-12pm when Jordan does (since he's working all week full-time...one of us has to be productive right?), watch a movie or read in bed until 1ish, sleep til 10am, then finish the movie or chapter I ended on. After Paisley and I have had enough of just laying in bed,  I figure it's time to change back into some sweats and a hoody then post up on the couch. All day. And usually fit a nap in somewhere between 2-4. I really don't know what my life has come to. So today I finally switched it up and after realizing that Christmas is only 5 days away, I finished all of my Christmas shopping. I got ALL of it done in ooh about 4 hours, including wrapping, if that even. Which makes me laugh because I know some people who have spent close to (and probably way more than) 40 HOURS Christmas shopping! Yes, you read that right. 40 HOURS!!!! That would be an entire full-time work week spent shopping. What?! I don't have the time (or money!) for that!! 


What is happening to Christmas?!! I don't get it!! Why do stores start putting Christmas stuff out at the same time as they set out the Halloween decorations and candy! It's beyond ridiculous. Not to go all churchy and "God-freak" on you all, but isn't the real meaning of Christmas the birth of Jesus? Do kids these days even know the story and how it all went down? It makes me sad and somewhat disgusted that some parents just think that Christmas is about the presents and Santa and the quantity of stuff they give, not the quality. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I honestly don't ever remember growing up like that or celebrating like that. Sure, my siblings and I all made "Christmas Wish Lists" but that's all they were. Wish lists. Because we could write down anything and everything we wanted knowing damn well that we wouldn't see half the stuff under the tree at any point in time. We went to a Catholic school growing up so we went to Mass twice a week, followed the Advent calendar and wreath and did different volunteer activities throughout the month of December...ya know, sing at the nursing home, read to elementary kids, ring the salvation army bell. Anyway, we gave our time is the point I'm trying to make. We did random acts of kindness because people remember those longer and those go a hell of a lot further than a Christmas tree full of the latest clothes and shoes underneath of it. I think people underestimate the power of acts of kindness. You don't have to look very far to realize that people everywhere are less fortunate than you or have it worse off. If you're reading this, you're already more fortunate and rich than countless people who can't even read or don't have a computer or access to the internet. 


So back to my point. Christmas and gift giving. It's outrageous and something has got to change. I'd like to think and tell myself this, and also my mom, that we're at the age where if we want something, we can buy it ourselves. If we can't afford it, we'll either save up for it or decide we don't need it that bad after all. Christmas to us isn't about the "stuff" or the gifts. It's about family and being together. It's about the memories and hugs and laughs and snuggles and good times that we'll all share over a few days that we all get to spend together. We all pile in the car and go to church together which gives all of us time to reflect on the year, our lives and be truly thankful for who we have in our life and what we are blessed with. I wish all families Christmases were like this. I wish that people would keep "Christ" in Christmas and not change it to x-mas or "Happy Holidays." All I know is that when Jordan and I have kids, I hope to teach them from an early age what Christmas is about. I hope our kids understand that there are other kids out there much less fortunate than them and to show them how rewarding it would be to donate their new toys to Toys for Tots or use their own Christmas money to donate to an organization that helps support kids with cancer. While I'm sure the massive overload of spoiling will still happen from the grandparents (because isn't that what grandparents are for?!), I hope that they would at least help recognize that just because they didn't teach their own kids these values, they would help us teach our kids what's important to us and our family. Gotta teach 'em and start 'em young right? I saw a pin the other day on Pinterest and thought it was so fitting for this time of year: 


The 4 Gift-Giving Rule:
-one thing they want
-one thing they need
-one thing they wear
-one thing they read


Brilliant. Thank you, Pinterest. You did it again. I should pass this along to those 40-hour shoppers for next year. And I have already mental noted this for the future. And to wrap this up, just because Christmas is this weekend and the festive music will stop on the radio and the gift giving will come to an end, doesn't mean the gift of time and gratitude needs to stop. Volunteer at the local hospital. Read to kids at the library. Give blood. Take your neighbors dog for a walk. Donate to a charity you support. Smile at someone you cross paths with. Do something, anything.  A little boy in Dance Marathon once said, "an act of kindness, big or small, is the greatest gift of all." If a five year old knows that, what's wrong with the rest of us?? Just think of how much better this world would be if we all put someone before ourselves first, even if just for a day or a few hours. Make it a New Year's Resolution if you have to. Eventually, we'll get Christmas back the way it used to be. Until then, enjoy all of the time with family and friends, embrace the moments together and spread the love around to those who might not have as much. And remember: count your blessings, not your problems.

the first gift of Christmas!

Today I felt like the boy from The Polar Express...because....I got the first gift of Christmas!!! And it was totally unexpected! Today at my 8:05AM class (which I showed up 25 minutes late for...gee thanks a heap snow/ice) my professor said he needed to see all of his TA's immediately after class. Of course, instant paranoia sets in with me. "What's he going to say? Is he mad? Did I do something wrong? Am I not getting an assistantship next semester?!!" Anyway, we all stayed after class and sat there questioning what would he was going be on our case about now....until he walked back into the room with two BIG bags of Christmas presents!!!! Our prof (who is probably mid-50s? maybe 60s?) is a single dude so when each of us girls opened up a scarf from American Eagle it made for quite the laugh. Seriously, I wish I could have seen him buying 6 of these scarves. And on top of that he also gave us each a Christmas card with a real genuine note from him. Basically, he said I'm awesome and he can't wait to have me around for the next 2 years in the program AND also to TA and help him with class. So if that's an offer for an assistantship each semester, I'll take it. Merry Christmas to me!


In other news, I helped my friend Hilary today bust down her basement wall and save her sister's dog that she is dog-sitting for the week. Meekah, the dog, really brought this on herself because at some point, she jumped up on the door handle and locked herself in. So instead of there being a key for the door anywhere, we had to go all Animal Cops and ASPCA on the basement. Breaking in through the wall paneling was really the only option. Needless to say, without the help of any guys, google OR pinterest, we combined our strength and tore through the wall. Saved the dog (let her out of the room...it's not like there was a fire and that we had to "save" her from anything.) Patched up the wall. And it looks good as new just like that. 


And lastly, my day ended by having a long dinner with my friend Lea. Is there anything better than sharing a delish dinner with a good friend? Eat in 20 minutes but end up staying there for almost two hours? I love it. There's nothing like some quality time with my girl friends. We get each other's jokes, reminisce about old stories and we can vent for hours, obviously. And never get sick of it. Nothing makes my heart feel more full and happy after such a wonderful day spent with two of my closest friends and then ending the night snuggling with the boy and pup.

Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see. 

-The Polar Express