Sad face

No Jimmy for Christmas.

But he'll be back Sunday, and I'll be the happiest girl on the planet!

..what's wrong with this picture?

At a first glance, this picture looks like any other landscape sceen. 

A beautiful skyline,

fluffy white clouds,

green grass...

then ruined by us.

This is gross. Really.

James has been doing a great job at recycling everything he can...to prevent more of this.

 [and I'm so proud of him for doing it!]

..he has influenced me to do the same...

So that we can enjoy this together in the future:

Go James!

Xo, 

Karen.

 

Counting down!

Early today, I came across this picture

from last March's cruise...

and realized just how close our next cruise is..

34 days and counting!

Yehaw!

Xo, Karen

Free at last!...well for a week anyway...

Finally...

 Thanksgiving break has arrived!

By the end of tonight James and I will both be out of school for the week...yes!

I can't wait to eat some good food,

chill with James' family and my mom's side,

and just relax....

...even if only for a week...

A breather from it all will be nice.

-K

..a little late..

These are a little overdue..but too cute to not post:

Pictures from Halloween at Aunt Jan's

October 2009...

James was really getting into character here..

...one of my fav's...

..we had a good group that night...

 Love you Boo.
xoxo, K.

New Directions

Well!  Its been a little while since either one of us blogged!  But there's been some big changes for both of us.  I've recently moved in to my new apartment in Gladstone, MO.  I absolutely love it.  It's a 700 sq ft. two bedroom place with brand new carpet! :-)  And for a more than reasonable price.  The nicest thing about the place is that it puts me only 10 minutes away from my lovely lady.  It's so nice being able to be with each other more often and not worry about a 45 minute drive home at midnight.

I do miss my parents though.  They have been such a strong support system since I moved out of my old apartment and into their home a little over a year and a half ago.  They're such good people.  It is true that the older we get, the more we begin to appreciate and realize how wise our parents truly are.  I have been blessed with a set of parents that have unconditional love for me, no matter what path I take in life.  They should be finding out their mission call next week which I know they have been looking forward to for years.  They're both such good people and are excited to start a new path in their lives with their mission forthcoming and a move to Idaho next month.

The other big thing that has changed for Karen and I, is that she has a new job working on Ft. Leavenworth.  She was pretty nervous about starting there because she's only worked in one other place for the past six years and that's at Hy-Vee.  I don't know anyone else our age that can say they've worked at the same place since they were 16 and never miss a single day of work, for anything.  That is a testament to her quality of person and what kind of worker she is.  I know she'll do great on post, and is already beginning to get settled in.

Oh!  And we only have 52 more days until our cruise!  Yahoo!  Anyways, that's just a little update on our lives.  Until next time...

10 things I'm lovin' right now...

1. The color changing leaves of Fall...sadly this is already ending but there's still some to enjoy!

2. James will be in Kc soon, and I was told earlier today that I am welcome to come over and cuddle anytime I want. I'm taking full advantage of that statement...

3. Scarves and boots...and funky old jewelry...

4. Upcoming events/holidays..for example: Thanksgiving and the Plaza lighting..

5. Sipping hot cocoa with my honey-buns..    :) Always a good time.

6. Enjoying pumpkin spice and caramel apple candles..

7. Getting close enough to January to begin counting down for the cruise!!

8. Curling up with a good read or two...Just finished Water for Elephants, One Child, and Secret Life of Bees...next: onto No Impact Man.

9. Shopping for Fall wear..one of my favorite pastimes...

10. Classic oldies music...think Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Dean Martin, Cab Calloway, and Sinatra of course....The cold weather just just puts ya in the mood for some old tunes.

Until next time...

Xo, K.

Welcome!

This is our blog!  We've never really done a blog before, but we thought it was high time!  At least, that's what all the cool people are doing.  This space will be filled with all kinds of stories, ideas, adventures, pictures, and good times featuring the wonderful life of James and Karen!

Karen and I take off for our second cruise in a one year time span in only 63 days!!  We're both so excited.  Last time we went on a 5 day cruise out of Galveston, TX and drove down there.  This time we're doing it a little bit different.  A little bit more luxurious :-)  This time we'll be flying down, to save us from a 13 hour trip, and going on a SEVEN day cruise!  We'll be visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico.  Last time we just visited Progreso, Mexico and Cozumel.  So two more countries to add to our growing list of countries we've visited!

We plan on taking it easy in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, by just being beach bums, renting bikes, and going geocaching (our new found hobby).  In Cozumel though, we'll be taking a really fun cooking class, learning how to cook traditional Mexican cuisine on the beach.  We may sneak a beachside massage in as well :-)  And that all kicks off January 3, the week before our new semester.

Speaking of new things occuring.  Karen starts her new job on Ft. Leavenworth this next Tuesday, just 3 days after I move out to my new apartment in Gladstone.  Both big changes for us!  I'll be only 10 minutes away from Karen, which will be so, so nice.  And Karen will now have a better paying job, and she'll never have to work weekends again, while getting paid vacation and sick leave!  So good things all around!  We're pretty excited for the future as we both start down new paths in our lives, together.  Until next time.

-J&K