Oh Christmas Tree.....

Oh Christmas Tree! Though you are only 3 feet tall, christmas tree... The work I and I alone put into you fills me with joy! Damien watched in amusement as I struggled with a tree only half my size, trying to decide where to put the ornaments and how to string the lights. It's not much, but it's our little christmas tree in the little corner of our living room. And yes....that is a paper star on top. We didn't have one..... I made it with expert skill and scotch tape in 5 minutes!

My Husband...

KEEPS TAKING PICTURES OF ME WHILE I'M ASLEEP!!!!!

Maybe I should stop falling asleep on the couch...

Wonderful Gifts!

So today in the mail, the package that my brother and his wife sent to Damien and I finally got here! We were very excited to open it because we both love presents and are spoiled haha. We had no idea what was in the box, but when we opened it, both of us were extremely happy!

The first thing we both saw was this! It's a knife block, only in the shape of a man being stabbed! We both love it so much and played with it a little before leaving him on the table. Michael and Katie couldn't have picked anything better that the two of us would like! That may be a little bit demented, but it also means that they know me well! Damien and I both love our 'Knife Man'.

Of course, we also got the more traditional gifts of kitchen towels, a rug for the kitchen, and measuring cups. And I think I was a little more interested in those than Damien was. He was still too enthralled by the knife man. I love our gifts from my brother and sister-in-law, they are great! And much needed! Thanks so much you guys, perfect idea!

Melissa's English Lessons...

How To Say Kool-Aid

It has recently come to the attention of my husband, much to his annoyance, that I have a pronunciation problem with the words Kool-Aid and Cooler, like for holding ice to put drinks and food in when you go camping. I can say the stand alone word COOL like other people, with the oo making the proper sound.

But every time I make Kool-Aid and ask Damien if he wants some, he makes fun of me! I never noticed it until he pointed it out, but I pronounce the Kool in Kool-Aid like coo, as in cooing at a baby. It's almost like a 'qu' sound instead of 'oo'. So instead of saying KOOL-Aid, like a normal person, I say KOO-Laid. like a freak.

Then a few days ago, recently after the Kool-Aid vs. Koo-Laid conversation, we were talking about going camping. It had been a really warm weekend for October and we were thinking about going out somewhere to camp for a day or two. I mentioned that we would need a cooler, and Damien just gave me this strange look for a few seconds. I had no idea what his problem was until he said "Say that again." So I repeated myself, we would need a cooler. He shook his head and said "COOL-er, not COO-ler. You say that weird too." Then we had a long moment of him trying to get me to pronounce it properly, in which I finally succeeded, but every time I say Kool-Aid or Cooler now, I always have to think about it first. I don't know why I say those two words so strangely, but it's something I never noticed or had pointed out before. It makes me wonder what else I might be saying differently from everyone else...

Enter The World....

THE WORLD OF WARCRAFT!!!

Over the last few weeks, I seem to be losing my husband further and further into The World Of Warcraft. He's started talking about strange things like 'looting' and 'running instances'. It all seems like a foreign language until it is explained. If you have no idea what a Tauren Druid Level 35 is, they you are still a member of the real world. If you've never heard of a Gnome Mage, congratulations, you still have a real life. But as for my husband well...he's lost it.

Here is a picture of Damien's level 30 (though that might be higher by a few hours from now) Blood Elf Paladin, doing a little dance.

And the scary part is, I think it's contagious.... I myself have been sucked into this strange and mythical land of 'WoW' as it is commonly known to those who play it. My character is a level 20 Blood Elf Warlock. And the sad part is, I'm actually excited about that. If I've completely lost you here, be proud of yourself. Nobody should be so enthralled. All who venture into the World Of Warcraft beware, it is a hazardous place filled with undead and vampiric bats that will suck out your life. Oh yeah, and it's also freakishly addicting. Seriously. Be careful brave warrior. The road you travel is a perilous one.

My level 20 Blood Elf Warlock

On a sidenote, it is my older brother's birthday today! Happy birthday Michael!!!

A Walk In The Woods...

I grew up in Washington, the Evergreen State, for 18 years of my life. I never really understood the obsession some people have with fall 'colors' and 'falling leaves' and things like that, because I never really got a lot of the effect being surrounded by pine trees all the time. So out here in PA, I was so excited this fall to see the trees changing colors this year, and now I understand.

Damien and I live right down the road from the bike trail here in Rockwood, so one day I decided we should go for a walk and take the camera along! We walked along the trail looking at all of the pretty trees. My favorite are the bright red leaves. I can't believe a tree actually changes to that right of a color. But there was also plenty of yellow and orange as well.

Damien got tired of me snapping pictures, and took the camera from me! Then he decided that it would be a good oppertunity to do a photo shoot of me and we had an interesting time getting across a little stream so that he could set me in the perfect spot for a picture. Unfortunately...the water was a little deeper than he thought it was, and he got covered in mud up to his knees. Of course he really didn't care and just put me up on the rock he was trying for, even though the freezing water was covering his feet.

I love to make faces at the camera.

He took some really nice pictures of me and showed off his artistic side a little!

At the end of the day, the boots lost against the elements. And not to mention Damien's feet were freezing when we got home!

First Comes Love...

A Special Occasion...

Let me take you back to September 15th, 2008. A day in the fall, not long ago. The day I got to marry the love of my life. We went to the Justic of the Peace in a VERY small town caled Confluence here in PA. Not many people came, but that was fine with us. Because my family lives so far away from us, I was a little sad that they couldn't be at my wedding, but I know that some day (hopefully soon) they wil all get to meet my Damien. Lucky for me though, two of our really great friends came to see us get married. That made me happy.

I love him in his Class A's, He looks so good!

I have only been married for a little over a month, but I love it. I love waking up in the morning to the person that makes me smile even when nothing else can. I love it when he smiles and calls me his wife. He's my favorite person in the world.

Our rings together. The bands are matching white gold.

So to all my friends and family that couldn't make it, here are some pictures and I wish you could have been there. I can't wait for everyone to meet my new husband. We are very happy together and I miss you all!