Cheers to you, 2013.

Aw…New Year’s Eve. Time to say good bye to 2013 and welcome the New Year.

It’s been a big year for me. Biggest one practically since 1983. After all, we moved, bought a house, remodeled a home, planned a wedding, had a wedding, turned 30, traveled with my inlaws, traveled to the Caribbean, and fell in love time and time again. That’s a lot to do in one year. No wonder my house is a mess and I think organization is a wonderful dream like world peace and exact change.

This year has been a humbling year for me, there have been lows but the high highs have brought tears to my eyes as I don’t know if I’m able to convey the feelings that rush through me. To those that continue to be a part of my life, thank you. Little known fact, but one of my favorite things at Christmas time are the cards that we get. I love seeing the faces and hearing what’s going on and they go up on my holder and it’s one of the last things to come down for my holiday decorations.

As I reflect on the year in the past, I’m excited to open my calendar for 2014 and the possibilities that could happen. Matt and I continue to talk about abstract plans and possible trips. We aren’t sure what our next five years, ten years, or lifetime will hold. He’s been at DIK for 7 years and continues to find new challenges (good and bad) that go along with the change that he’s had an impact to create. I find now I’m enjoying home life a bit more than work. I love pittering around our house and further organizing and planning and updating. We’ve done so much on the house and there are moments when I realize that this is our home and the center of our life. Who knows what plans we’ll get to accomplish this year on the house, what we want versus need versus find and add in the aspect of affordability and our list changes constantly.

I’m getting distracted…back to my nostalgic wondering of the 2013 year. If I were to pick a word for this year, it would be hard. Things come to mind: love, thankfulness, forever, peace, changes, happy, but the one that might best convey it all is “blessed”. We are blessed to have each other, a home, a supportive family, good jobs, and the ability/means to continue to see another part of the world.

So 2014, I’m ready. I’m ready for your spring’s hope, your summer days, your fall sweaters. I’m ready for the changes you may bring, I may eat my words later, but I’m excited for new plans. I’m excited for the possibilities that may happen to our families. I’m sure there will be wine poured, martini’s shook, and a meal that is enjoyed. There better be a few pizzas too, I’m counting on it. I’m also counting on a few trips and a few pictures taken. Here’s to the kitten cuddles, the Friday nights and the morning brunches on the patio. Here’s to camping trips and working cattle. Here’s to the feeling of a new year brimming with excitement and promise.

So in final reflection: best meals of the past year include Christmas Eve Eve Fondue, Randy’s Christmas Eve Pizza, Chicago Dogs for Wedding Rehearsal, salmon at the wedding, salmon crepes with a latte at Sarafine’s, and crabs Matt bought off a truck in the Dickinson Tire parking lot.

ALR: It’ll be our third new year’s together.
MJR: Yes, it will.
ALR: I’m going to make it to midnight this year.
MJR (looks skeptical)
ALR: I did last year, it even made the blog.
MJR: Yes, you are right.

**Fun fact: I wanted to spend the final minutes of 2010 and bring in 2011 with Matt but he couldn’t take a hint and couldn’t tell I was flirting with him in emails. **

Additional fun fact: This is the 100th blog for this year, most I've ever blogged in 1 year. I'm scared that my father in-law will become used to this as he tends to let me know when things have gone unblogged for too long.

CHRISTMAS

Here’s the thing about Christmas. I want more. I want more family. I want more fireplaces. I want more time. What a beautiful time. I saw the perfect sum it all up picture on facebook this past month….As you grow older your Christmas list gets smaller and the things you really want for the holidays can’t be bought. It was hard to come up with a list for Matt and I this year, we did and there are other things that we’d like or think we need but what I’d really like is an extra camping trip with Michele and Randy, a weekend we could get away to help my parents, a trip to Arizona to see Janice, another wedding, just to get the family in one place again…these are the things I’d like. I would like happiness and stressfree days at work for Matt. I would like us/me to have unlimited vacation days to take a trip with him. I would like new windows for the house and a driveway that shovels itself. There are this things and a few more that can’t go on a Christmas list. But all in all, I have a wonderful life filled with love and family and I’m lucky.

So back to the week of Christmas. We started it off at the Dagman Christmas at Merri’s house. It was a very full house only a handful of people weren’t able to make it. It hasn’t been that full for a bit of time. It’s amazing to see the third generation really taking off. It really is amazing to see how the family has grown so big yet makes it a priority to still come together once a year.

The next day, we had the traditional Moser Ranch Christmas. The day started with Matt and Dad doing chores, followed by opening of presents, and then we heat up the fondue pots and have the meal that lasts hours. Presents was amazing, my family spoils! I don’t know who’s worse, Alaina, my parents, or Matt’s parents. We got some of the things on our list and so many more. I liked the fondueing. We’ve really taken oil fondue to a science. My favorite is the dough with any of the meats. We also added 2 types of cheese this year; smoked gouda and cheddar, and finished it off with chocolate. What a great meal. I look forward to it every year.

On Christmas Eve, we took off for Lansford. We ate a snack when we got there of appetizers but forced ourselves to quit when we realized that Randy was making pizza that night. Matt hadn’t been home for Christmas for a few years because of his position so it was nice to see him excited to be home. He even got his dream of a real tree to come true. Randy and Michele had one waiting to decorate. It was a very pretty real tree. Looked like a Christmas card. They can keep it. I don’t miss the needles and the wet presents and it’s bad enough Nike eats the fake tree, but when she eats the real tree, the needles get all over, even more. But it was beautiful at their house.

           

 The next morning we were pestered awake by the parents who couldn’t stand it even more. Michele even cheated and opened a present before we came down the stairs. We had to tell her she couldn’t shake her presents either. Which did stall her back a bit, she only lifted it then, weight check. After presents, we enjoyed a great egg/fruit breakfast bake that Michele made, it was very good. I actually had to force myself to quit eating because I remembered we were to enjoy Matt’s smoked brisket with gouda mac n’cheese, coleslaw, and squash soup. I ate too much. I thought I was going to explode.

The drive home was long but we rewarded ourselves with our final presents to ourselves when we finally got settled in. It was a beautiful first Christmas together.

Best meal: seriously. Don’t make me. Between the fondue, Randy’s pizza, the brisket, the breakfast egg/fruit/cheese thing…it was a week of amazing meals, the type you do wait all year for.

MJR: What was your favorite present?
ALR: The smoker.
MJR: No, what was your favorite present that you got?
ALR: Oh. That’s a tough one.
MJR: Why did you say the smoker?
ALR: Because even though it’s yours, it’s really me that benefits. You are already planning ribs and salmon and all my favorite things. Are you sure it’s not for me?
MJR: I see your point. 

Christmas Lists

Matthew’s list
Smoker
Soda streamer soda (Ginger ale, lemonade, grape)
Items for his yard remodel
Chop saw
Gun cabinet
Under Armor brush pants 38x36
Dale Brown, Patrick McLanahan Series (Hardcover)
Extra long hockey stick
Bond's Quantum or Solace or Skyfall
Black Hawk stuff - sweatshirts, t-shirts

Amanda’s list
Pulls and hinges for the kitchen
Trenchcoat
a couch for the living room
Pot protectors for my kitchen pots
Flower pots of all sizes for the garden
Salmon
Snorkel gear (mouth piece, flippers, eyes)
Herb garden
Patricia Cornwell, Kay Scarpetta Series, Book 3 and on (kindle)
Gone Girl (kindle)
Paint for the small guest bedroom
Scanner
Hair Wand (It's like a curling iron)
Garden gargoyle
Despicable Me 2
Snapfish Gift Certificates
Knuckle Ring
Laundry hanging bags
Charger Plate Set

Happy Holidays From the Remynses!

First Christmas Card…First Christmas Letter.

Here’s a brief rundown of things that are happening with us this year…a Top 5 of sorts.

1. WE GOT MARRIED!!! Best day ever…will live in my memories for the rest of my life. My favorite moment of the day was the first moment that we saw each. That moment where I realized that he was my future and how happy I was…it was amazing.

2. We bought a house together. I could follow this up with, we made it through our first remodel together…wallpaper (which is a curse word in our house), texture, lights, paint, sanding…it all has been coming together.

3. Traveling…we usually get a few trips in but there were 2 that stuck out in my mind. Both were in October. We took a trip to Michigan to attend Bob Remynse, Matt’s grandfather’s funeral. We drove. And drove back. With Michele and Randy. A week after we got back and found ourselves recovered, we took our honeymoon to St. Maarten, an island in the Caribbean. What a beautiful week of beaches, sun, and just us!

4. Work life. I just honored my first year at Job Service, where I have an amazing group of coworkers (which is my favorite part of my job). Matt watched a dream come true at the airport. In June, he watched the jets come in to acknowledge the start of jet service in Dickinson. Was great to see how his hard work and stress finally had a pay off.

5. We really got married…I say this because not only was the wedding day and the day after and the day before amazing but the planning and time that went into the details of the day was such a major part of our year. We wanted to make sure that our day was about us and that people got to know us and our relationship a bit better.

Other honorable mentions:
-we got old (both of us turned 30)
-after a year of living together…the cats still do not get along. Sometimes I think they think they are playing but aren’t sure but for the most part all three; TonyDanza, Nike, and Lola, do not all mix well.
-we took 2 camping trips this year, pathetic.
-we visited the farm, but not as much as we would have liked. We did buy a heifer to bulk our herd numbers up a bit, and Matt did take over for Dad a time or two, but we had higher hopes for being a bigger help.

Goals for next year:
Matt wants to do a bit of landscaping to our small yard.
Amanda wants to revise the guest bedrooms
Matt wants to hunt more.
We want to travel more, golf more, camp more…

So in closing, I’ll leave you with a conversation from Matt and I…but we are so glad to have so many people in our lives that continue to check on us and think of us. We are blessed to have the family that we were given and the friends that continue to chose us. Can’t wait to see your families and hear your stories.

ALR: We’ve been married a couple months.
MJR: yea.
ALR: Does it feel weird?
MJR: no.
ALR: Is it how you thought it was going to be?
MJR: yea.
ALR: Really?
MJR: yea, just like I was expecting.
ALR: oh. Well, I think it’s different. I think we’ve got a pretty good thing happening here.
MJR: I know, it’s what I was expecting.

Christmas Preparation

Twas the week before Christmas….and it’s one of those years where I’m feeling Christmas’y and potentially ready. We have the tree up, the stockings hung, decorations around the house, some baking done, and finally some presents wrapped. I made bags for my co-workers and Matt's employees at the airport, they included some pumpkin cookies, banana bread, caramel corn, and a bit of jerky. Was so nice to hear the nice things they said about the gifts. Present wrapping may be the hardest thing I’ve had to do as a husband/wife. Matt agreed to help me since I was getting behind and while it was very sweet that he offered, I should have realized that it’s the thought that counts and thanked him and went on my merry way. See, here’s what most people don’t realize. After a few years of working on wrapping presents myself, I have developed a system and I’m also particular about my wrapping. I think a beautifully wrapped present says something. Now here is the disclaimer, Matt wrapped a good portion of the presents and to those that open them, do not judge us. And I’m sorry. There I sat, watching one of the most capable, intelligent men/people I know, argue with a sheet of snowman paper with tape on his nose and tape all around his hand because within 5 minute of getting the wrapping tape, he had broken the dispenser. After the first present, we had to have tutorial on how best to wrap a present. Eventually, we worked out a better system. I cut the paper and handed it to him with the present ready. Yes, we got it all finished. And yes, I love him. And no, I didn’t kill him off with the scissors. But yes, I did think about a slight maiming.

ALR: Stop!

ALR: AHHH, when I said, Stop, do you think I really said, keep going and add as much tape as possible in the shortest amount of time?

MJR: I was almost done.

ALR: Almost done with what? Wrapping to the point of no return where I can’t fix it?

MJR: It needed reinforcement.

ALR: It did not need reinforcement, I gave you the proper amount of paper to wrap that box.

MJR: You’d think for a novice like me, you’d provide more paper so I can better do the job.

ALR: I don’t think the amount of paper is our issue.

Lola doesn't seem impressed

Other things that went on this past week, Matt had another great win and game for his hockey team. He has been working on his skating and stopping. We found an outdoor rink close by our house. He finally got his jersey! Looking forward to seeing him play in it. They are gunning for the championship, that’s for sure.

Matt’s had a stressful week at work. Winter is his hardest season and this one has been unique because of the airline situation that was reported by the press. I’ve heard comments that he articulated the problem well, but it’s still a problem that he’s been dealing with on both ends. Then to add to the week, a plane aborted their take off and crashed on the airfield. No one was injured and it was learning experience that won’t be forgotten. The hard part was that the crash forced the airport closed until they could move the private jet into the safe space for other airlines to begin using the runway again, which meant cancelled flights. Matt came home at 4:30 on Friday night/Saturday morning after a long night on the airfield. It was one of those weeks where I wish I could shoulder some of the stress that he acquired.

We did weigh the cats this weekend; Lola came out at 14 pounds, which is consistent. TonyDanza was also at 14 pounds, which meant that he has lost a bit. Nike was a whooping 18, which means she’s fat or as Matt would say, she’s solid.

Best meal: We had our first set of steaks from our new beef. Matt was excited when we opened them and with the weather breaking for a bit for the grill to come out, it turned out great.

Things yelled by ALR since Dec 8 (the day we put the tree up):

Quit eating the tree! Quit it right now!

Why is there an ornament here?

Quit! Quit playing with that!

Take one more bite, I dare you!

Stop that, you are ruining the Christmas spirit!

That is a Christmas tree not an ambush hold!

No fighting under the tree!

Nike! You quit that!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Here is a picture of the new bed that I bought Nike, in an attempt to 1. Make her a bit happier about the Christmas tree 2. Make her feel cozier on the bed 3. Have her quit shedding all over the bed. I don't consider this purchase a great success.

Christmas Cards then Parties then Trees!

 We are hardly two weeks out from Christmas. I think we’ve got things pretty well on schedule. Tree is now up. Assembled, decorated, lights, ribbon, star and all. Matt is not a happy camper, because it a fake tree. I love it. The only thing that I would love more is if we could put tinsel on it. We can’t, TonyDanza tries to eat it. What a dummy. So that’s done. We are almost done with presents. A few left, but so far so good. I’ve started baking a few things but not too seriously. Will have to get that in gear. Also, with the true spirit of Christmas, we had my work holiday gathering last Friday. What a great little night. Was fun to get together and see spouses and enjoy some great food. We also have been getting some nice compliments on our first Christmas card. I really do like the way they turned out!

This week has been cold. Not just a little chilly but now we are at holycrapcanwegetcolder cold? I’ve been plugging my car in each night, Matt’s been letting his run extra, and we even turned up the heat again. This cold stinks. It’s cost Matt a flooded office because of frozen pipes. I’ve dug out my long underwear. We even have been trying to maintain the fireplace. I know it’s December, but we’ve got to catch a break, or a high above zero.

This weekend we got a lot of things done. I went to Pride of Dakota with a friend in Bismarck as well as did some errands and shopping. On Sunday, we went to the grocery store and I stocked up on food and made bagged crock pot meals. I’ve seen it on pinterest and have been wanting to try it. The tipping point to do it this week was the lack of imagination that I’ve had with meals this week. I did make a squash soup that was very impressive in my mind. Matt didn’t even try it. What a disappointment! I miss the summer when weather was warm and Matt was cooking!

Best Meal: Was at Hawk’s Point, where the Christmas Party was. I had a chicken stuffed with cheese and bacon wrapped asparagus on the side. Matt had a NY strip with squash and horseradish mashed potatoes.

Matt lying on the ground looking under the Christmas Tree

MJR: Yep, Sorry Nike. There’s no water this year.

ALR: sigh
MJR: I know, Nike, you’ll have to get used to this every other year.
ALR: sigh
ALR crouching down to look: Seriously? Is she doing what I think she’s doing?
MJR: She’ll figure out it isn’t real.
ALR: She’s eating the tree! Aren’t you going to get after her?
MJR: She doesn’t understand the words I say.
ALR: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

White Weekends and White Closets

The weather is changing. We both are hating it. Matt’s stressing out over it because of work and I’m hating it because of the cold. We actually turned up the heat this past week…I’m not sure how I’m going to handle it on Friday when the good temps are actually zero. Matt has spent some long days at the airport….in a piece of equipment. Felt bad when he came home for 6 hours last night, just enough time to eat a sandwich, have a bowl of cereal, and take a nap. We didn’t get a ton of snow, just enough to be an inconvenience and totally cover the ground.

This past weekend we did get some stuff accomplished! Got some things put online to sell, house cleaned up a bit, pumpkin cooked with more seeds roasted, and even got the pillows washed in the house. I don’t think someone was impressed. The biggest time suck/accomplishment was the closet in the guest bedroom finally got painted. FINALLY. Seriously who paints a closet AND THE CEILING a brown/purple color. They even painted the dowel and the shelf and the brackets…but not well. They painted them but didn’t move them.

Matt had another good game of hockey. He scored another goal and his team was sitting in first place on Monday. I’m glad he’s enjoying it. He hasn’t gotten his jersey yet but is enjoying the guys he’s playing with.

We also got our Christmas Card out this week. We didn’t send a letter but instead put a blog link up. Hope people enjoy both! 

Best Meal of the week: We had a date night on Friday, Matt smoked salmon (compliments of Kevin!) and after a great meal we sat down with the DVD of wedding photos that we got from Ken. Very bittersweet, the pics were beautiful and it reminded us of the day in so many ways but now there is nothing else to look forward to. Randy says that he wants to get the pics perfect so we should have another wedding, how can I disagree with this brilliant man?

Painting the closet

MJR: How many coats is this?

ALR: Let’s see, this is one coat of primer, two coats of white, and I think we’ll need one more for sure and probably 2 more on the seams?

MJR: This is taking forever.

ALR: I know.

ALR: What color is this?

MJR: Mauve?

ALR (AGHAST): NO!!! Our wedding color for the rosewood was mauve, this horrible abomination is nothing similar to the wonderfulness of our wedding!

MJR: Oh, well maybe we’ll stick with purple-brown.

ALR: I should say SO!