I Sparkle More Than Edward Cullen ...

Do you remember the scene from Home Sweet Alabama, where Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) takes Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) to the jewelry store and tells her to pick out which ever rings she wants? Well let me tell you, that is amazing! Justin suprised me for Christmas and took me to pick out my new upgraded rings! It was so much fun trying just about everything on in the store. In the end I picked out a 1 1/2 carat round brilliant cut and a 2 carate round brilliant eternity band. I love these things and can't believe how much they sparkle!

E.L.F ...

Please vote for my cousin for the face of e.l.f modeling search!


http://www.exploremodeling.com/Contest/Faceof_ELF_2010/21524/Jessica_Otto.aspx

Saint Nicholas Day ...

Saint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as is common for early Christian saints.

The historical Saint Nicholas is remembered and revered among Catholic and Orthodox Christians. He is also honoured by various Anglican and Lutheran churches.

People then began to suspect that he was behind a large number of other anonymous gifts to the poor, using the inheritance from his wealthy parents. After he died, people in the region continued to give to the poor anonymously, and such gifts were still often attributed to St. Nicholas.

While feasts of Saint Nicholas are not observed nationally, cities with strong German influences like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and St. Louis celebrate St. Nick's Day on a scale similar to the German custom. On December 5, the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, each child puts one empty shoe outside their bedroom door or on a staircase before they go to sleep. The following morning of December 6, the children awake to find that St. Nick has filled their footwear with candy and small presents. For these children, the relationship between St. Nick and Santa Claus is not clearly defined, although St. Nick is usually explained to be a helper of Santa. The tradition of St. Nick's Day is firmly established in the Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Cleveland and St. Louis communities, with parents often continuing to observe the day with their adult children. Widespread adoption of observing the tradition has spread among the German, Polish, Belgian and Dutch communities throughout Wisconsin, and is carried out through modern times.

MJH ...

It's never easy saying goodbye to a loved one. Justins mom passed away on October 20th 2009 at 9:45pm. Justin and I both were with her when she took her last breath. Marietta had a hard long fight with ovarian cancer until it took over her whole body. She was an incredible strong and passionate woman that opened her arms to anyone. I am truly blessed to have her as my mother in law and she will forever hold a special part of my heart.

This picture was taken the morning of her passing. We were about to leave the house to head to the hospital after letting the dogs in fron outside and Justin pointed out the rainbow. Rainbows will forever be a special part of me, for whenever I see one I will think of her.

We love you Marietta Jane Hanson.

Happy Sweetest Day ...

Sweetest Day, observed on the 3rd Saturday in the month of October has its origin in Cleveland in 1922, during the Great Depression. At present the holiday is primarily celebrated in the Midwestern U.S. states of Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio. About 60 years ago, Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland man and a candy store employee felt that the city's orphans and shut-ins were often being overlooked and neglected. To instill in them a sense of being cared for, he distributed small gifts and candy to those who had fallen on hard times, with the help of his friends and neighbors, on a Saturday in October. Other Clevelanders soon followed suit, and the celebration came to be known as the "Sweetest Day". On the first Sweetest Day, movie star Ann Pennington presented 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys with boxes of candy to express gratitude for the service they render to the public. Theda Bera, another popular movie star distributed 10,000 boxes of candy to the people in Cleveland hospitals and also offered candy to all those who came to watch her film in a local theater.

Primarily a regional observance, Sweetest Day is gaining popularity and spreading to the other areas of the country. This tradition now seems to largely involve giving small presents, such as cards, candy and flowers, to family, friends, and lovers. It gives us an opportunity to reach out to the not- so-well-off sections of the society and spread happiness in their lives. Sweetest Day does not pertain to any particular religion, but is based on the broader and all-encompassing principle of humanity.

Monday Night Football ...

It was mighty saddening watching Bret Favre come out of the tunnel in a purple Vikings jersey last night. Its just something someone coming from Wisconsin would never see coming. Even though im a Bret Favre fan I had to stay loyal and cheer on my Green Bay Packers. Justin's grandfather even coached the Packers alongside Vince Lombardi. I had high hopes in the first half, but the second half is when I saw that light slowly fade. Green Bay defently stayed in tune with last season and having the most penaltys out of all the NFL teams. Its sad how undiscipline the team is now, and I point my fingers at Ted Thompson (GM) and Mike McCarthy (HC). Yes its sad, but I was born and raised in Wisconsin so i will never lose hope or stop wearing my green and gold.

Stephanie's Birthday ...

Justin took me to California for my 25th Birthday. We headed to Huntington Beach for our first day, where we met up with Bianca and Brandon. We had a few drinks at freds and then headed to the beach. The boys rented boogy boards and did that most of the time while Bianca and me enjoyed the sun. The boys finally got us out deep in the water and we tried boarding. I actually caught and road a pretty good wave all the way to the shore, but then missed a lot too.

We then headed to Anaheim and check into the Candy Cane Inn. I love this hotel, everyone is so nice and its so quaint. There is ivy and flowers growing everywhere. After a quick shower we headed down to Downtown Disney and enjoyed the outdoors music and shops.

Then the next day we enjoyed the hotels complimentary breakfast, mmm oatmeal with sliced friut and a bagel. and headed to Disneyland. Since it was my birthday I got into the park for free and got my own happy birthday button with my name on it. 31 cast members wished me a happy birthday throughout the day. Since all the little tikes were in school and it was middle week, the park was deserted. I dont think we waited anymore than twenty minutes for a single ride. Of course we went on all the rides and we even found secrets a long the way. I never knew you could actually go up into Sleeping Beauty's Castle. If we ever have a girl I know exactly where im taking her. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, its a salon for little girls to be transfered into princesses. They do hair and makeup with glitter and little crowns. It was so adorable. We even found a surname shop. We ordered our family crest and family history that will be printed framed and then shipped to us.

Anyways it was a wonderful vacation and birthday, thank you to my handsome husband.

Suprise ...

I got off work yesterday headed to Marietta's house, where Justin was already. They said they had a suprise for me. It was an early birthday present. I opened both of my cards and then removed the pink tissue paper to find our itinerary to disneyland, One of my most favorite places! We are staying at the Candy Cane Inn (which i absolutly love) The whole place is decorated with ivy and roses, it just has the warmest homey feeling when you walk in. Plus we are making a detour at Huntington Beach to enjoy the sun, ocean, beach, and of course lunch at Ruby's. I cant wait to celebrate with my hubby and mickey mouse!