Merry Christmas!

All I want for Christmas is......

As most of you know, I haven't seen Joe in four months. So you can only imagine how excited I am to pick up Joe from the airport Christmas evening!!! I hope hope hope his flight doesn't get delayed due to the weather.

One of my favorite things during the holiday is to admire all the presents under the tree. I know that sounds kind of materialistic, but that's not what I mean...my mom always wraps our gifts with such thought and the presents always look so beautiful. She'll attach a little ornament that resembles each of us and then wrap the gift in coordinating paper. For example, all my gifts have a "country" theme to them. My older brother, Quentin, his theme is a "hunting" and Corey's is Penguins.
So since Joe hasn't gotten to enjoy his gifts under the tree, I thought I would give him a little peek....

To: Joe
Love always, Tabitha

Have a Merry Christmas!!!

Evan Taylor Shaw

It was so nice to meet up with my dear friend Evan. I met Evan, oh two years go? ...working at Barrington. For the past two summers she has been Barrington's receptionist, but come fall she goes to school down in Florida. Evan is probably one of the funniest people I know and if I ever needed to escape the proshop for awhile, she was the first person I would go visit. Always making me laugh! We always have great conversation and I love that Evan loves VINTAGE! ...from wearing her Grandmothers jewelry to clothing/scarves she finds at thrift stores, Evan is always sporting fabulous one-of-a-kinds. Sadly, we never got to go antiquing together.

We had dinner at Cafe Toscano, a little elegant Italian restaurant in Aurora. It was my first time there and I must say the parmesan & herb olive oil that comes with warm ciabatta bread is to die for! Afterwards, we decided to head on over to James Place (a comfy little wine bar), for one more drink. Evan introduced me to Bailey's on the Rocks...what a great winter/Christmas time drink!

Evan & Mark (Assistant Golf Professional @ Barrington)

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Finally, I would like to include the album I made for Evan over the summer. She came to me and asked if I would make her an album of her & her boyfriend. She bought all the supplies, provided me with pictures, and helped me with the layout. I had so much fun making it! I just remember there being Evan & Casey pictures all over my apartment for a couple of weeks! :)

Scrapbook made for Evan:

Surprise Going Away Party 12/13/09

I love the fact that my sister told me that she is addicted to my blog and that she constantly checks it for new posts. :) That is how I felt with Kelli's blog. (and still do) So, I apologize I haven't wrote in awhile, but things have been a little hectic around here, with Christmas coming up and saying final goodbyes...not to mention I've felt a little under the weather the past couple of days.

Last Sunday, my family threw me a SURPRISE going away party. It was funny b/c my mom asked me if I could do her a favor and get off work an hour early. She told me she was having a Candle Lite party and she needed six people to attend. The favor seemed simple enough so I said ok. I left work an hour early and came home to a house full people...my mom, Quentin & Melissa, Ryan & Jessica, Felicia & Carl, Corey, Aunt Maryanne, Aunt Joyce & Uncle Chuck, Aunt Bernice, cousins Kim, Trixy, Theresa, Angela, Ashley, Alison & Monica...Thank you all for coming and for all the thoughtful going away gifts! It meant SO much to me to be able to see everyone before I leave, since I think this might be the first year no one is having a family Christmas get-together. Thank you to my brothers, sister, and sister-n-law for planning the whole thing...setting a date, sending out invites, sneaking through my phone to get friends numbers, and keeping it a secret from me (AND JOE) for a very long time. I think it's so funny no one told Joe, because they know how horrible he is at keeping a secret. Thank you mom for cooking dinner for everyone and baking two cakes. The German Chocolate cake (my favorite!) was delicious.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of my extended family, but I got some really great ones of my brothers & sister:

A true friend reaches for you hand, but touches your heart.

Michelle is one of my dearest friends and I'm so happy we were able to spend a little girls night out the other night, just the two of us. We don't see each other very often and it was so nice to catch up. I had so much fun! She surprised me with a future wedding date!!! I am so so happy for her & George! The wedding isn't until next summer, but she asked if I would go dress shopping with her before I move. So, to start the evening off we decided to try a few dresses on. All I have to say, is Michelle made it look so easy to find the perfect dress! She looked STUNNING in the very first one she tried on.
I'm going to miss Michelle dearly when I move. She is such a positive, upbeat person, that is always full of joy. She is a fabulous listener, great encourager and always so sincere and honest. And you think I'm creative? Michelle is amazing! ...she inspires me. You don't find friends like Michelle everyday and I am so thankful she is a part of my life. She truely is a blessing.

2008 Road Trip

As I sit here and think about getting on the road in a few weeks to trek across the country, it reminds me of the Amazing experience I had when Joe & I drove from WA to OH in June of '08. Before I met Joe, I had never been any further west than Indiana! So you can only imagine how excited I was to see Mountains (with snow on them!) and lots and lots of Pine Trees! We drove through 10 states in a little over 3 1/2 days. Our route included Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and the Badlands! I saw live Black Bears, a Grizzly, Elk, Pronghorns, Bison, a baby fox, and we even spotted an Osprey nest. It was so amazing to see all these animals in their own element. In the wild and not a zoo. We couldn't have asked for better weather: sunny skies, breathtaking sunsets, and no rain.

I can only pray that we have such luck when we make the reverse trip at the end of the month. The plan is to get on the road either the 27th or 28th. I'm hoping for no snow storms. We've been discussing a different route this time to try and avoid South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. As Joe would say, "Next stop? ...Who knows."