Merry Christmas, Love the Fox Family

Sorry we did not send out Christmas cards, so here ya go!

Gratitude

Glenn and I were ‘lucky’ enough to give talks the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Branch President had so much confidence in us we were the entire program, no youth speakers, musical numbers, just the two of us! No pressure right! Glenn gave an amazing talk on patience, and I spoke on gratitude. I have been pondering this topic ever since and just wanted to let my family and friends know a few of the things I am grateful for.

I have an exercise that I like to do on life’s rough days. To be honest it’s an exercise my husband makes me do because he knows by the end I’ll be smiling. I have to recite out loud 10 things that I’m grateful for. I may roll my eyes and start out reluctantly. Those first few thankful items on the list take more time to think about. Then they just start flowing, naming one thing on the list just starts a chain reaction of what I’m thankful for and I want to go even higher than ten. Without fail I have a smile and feel better by the end of the list. I highly recommend trying this.

This has been a necessary action recently. I have been so homesick. I have been missing my family and friends like crazy! I have even been missing my own husband because Glenn works so much overtime. I really hate my job, the catty girls, and not enough hours, and being frustrated that with all my efforts I still haven’t found a new job yet. I get angry whenever I look at our mountainous pile of laundry because we have no washer and dryer. I get angry at how quickly two people can accumulate so many dishes. Needless to say I have been kind of a mopey girl and need to snap out of it. So here is my gratitude list!

1.   My amazing husband!! Glenn makes me laugh and smile every day, he always knows what I need to cheer me up, and he works so hard to take care of our family. I’m a very lucky and happy wife!

2.   Plane tickets!! The fact that in 12 days we will be in California for Christmas!! I wasn’t sure that this was a possibility for a while and I am overwhelmed with excitement to spend my favorite time of year with our family and friends.

3.   My kind and generous parents!

4.   My sisters.

5.   My new extended family, the many in laws, and nieces and nephews I accumulated when I married Glenn.

6.   Friends – the ones we miss, and the new ones we have made in New York.

7.   Rocky and Lexi, our sometimes naughty, always cuddly, sweet, playful, silly puppies.

8.   Kitchen cabinets – Finally after two months we were able to unpack our kitchen boxes!

9.   The San Francisco 49ers!! Their 10-2 record and a clinched spot in the playoffs.

10.      Starbucks holiday beverages.

11.      I am thankful when it rains and when it snows.

12.      I am thankful for the cute winter coats, comfy sweaters, snuggly scarfs, boots, beanies, and gloves that keep me warm.

13.      Movies, Netflix, Books, and Music.

14.      Skype

15.      Date nights.

16.      Chapstick.

17.      Chocolate Milk.

18.      Toaster Strudels.

19.      Stars.

20.      Christmas decorations. I love our beautifully decorated tree that is so perfectly symmetrical someone actually thought it was fake. This is a home filled with Christmas spirit!

This list is such a small flicker of the blessings in my life. By counting our blessings ALWAYS we will be happier. We will be more of a joy to those around us, and hopefully be an example to them. I read somewhere once that gratitude is the path to more gratitude. I loved this and believe it to be true. My mom challenged me to find ways to serve everyday up until Christmas. I think this is an excellent way to keep my Christmas spirit up, and keep perspective on the importance of gratitude.

Oh and I didn’t take too many pictures over Thanksgiving, but I do have these two.

We drove to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with Glenn’s oldest brother and his family. It was a super quick trip! We arrived Wednesday night and left early Friday morning since I had to work Black Friday sales. We were so grateful we were able to spend Thanksgiving with family, even though it was a house filled with Ravens fans.  

Maine roadtrip with my 'main' squeeze!

Ignore the really bad play on words, I just couldn’t help it. Glenn and I were lucky enough to take advantage of a three day weekend and road-trip to Maine. I miss my family so much and it was nice to see my Aunt Sue! We left straight from work on Thursday and rolled into Maine at 12:30! This was not too late for hugs, chatting, and it was about another hour until we crashed in bed. This was the first visit to Maine for both of us and Sue made sure we saw all the touristy sites. Our first stop on Friday, the cemetery! Why you ask? My mother is obsessed with cemeteries and thinks everyone else is too, so we had to stop and take pictures for her.

This was my favorite part of the cemetery tour! I am such a romantic, and love sappy love stories. This man made arrangements before he died that his wife would receive 1 dozen red roses every month. Even in her death this lucky women has been receiving 1 dozen fresh red roses once a month since 1915!! Insert Awwww here!

Glenn being goofy! I get so excited anytime I see anything that says Fox, so a picture was a must. Think taking pictures on a stranger’s grave is wrong? They make funny pictures either way.

Second stop, Paul Bunyan! Apparently there is a huge debate on where Paul Bunyan is actually from. Veazie is one of those places that like to claim the famous lumberjack, and have a statue in his honor. If it’s nice and touristy I want a picture.

Next stop, Silkweeds. This was another place that my mom insisted we had to visit while in Maine. The second I walk in the door I am greeted with a warm hug from the store owner Lisa. I thought to myself, wow people in Maine sure are friendly. My mom has a knack for becoming really good friends with people even from 3000 miles away. My mom met Lisa on her last visit to Maine and had been texting her all morning asking if she had met her daughter yet. Lisa had the cutest shop filled with Christmas decorations and fudge. Glenn and I picked out our first Christmas decorations for our home. Lisa continued to prove that Maine kindness and would not let us leave without some fudge as a gift from her. When we left it was if we had been the best of friends forever.

The rain and the fact it gets dark about 4:00 cut our walk short. Rocky and Lexi were happy to be running around even if just for a little bit. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in front of the fire and watching movies.

Saturday the sun decided to peek out, and we made our way to Acadia National Park. We were even able to tear Frank away from work to join us for the fun. Even with the leaves already fallen from the trees, Acadia was absolutely gorgeous! Clear skies are not a sign of warmth and it was freezing, we could only handle about 15 minutes outside at a time. I loved the sand beach. Something about the beach on a cold day is even more picturesque. I could have watched the waves build up and crash into shore forever if it wasn’t so cold.

Next stop on the Acadia Park loop was Thunder Hole. The water will crash so loud into the rocks that the sounds replicate thunder. Glenn proved what a little kid he is and just wanted to run around and jump all over the rocks. He nearly gave me a heart attack when he thought it would be fun to sit right on the cliffs edge.

Final stop was Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the East Coast. We had such an incredible view from up here, and that meant the winds were also really strong. You can see by how crazy my hair looks and our bright red noses.  

No trip to Maine is complete without some authentic clam chowda! We went to Geddy’s for lunch in Bar Harbor and were not disappointed.

Saturday night we went to a University of Maine hockey game! I love hockey, and personally think it’s the best sport to watch live. This was Glenn’s first live hockey game, and he is now hooked. Sadly Maine lost, 4-3, but it was such an exciting and close match that we still had a great time.

After two days of appreciating the beauty of Maine, and having a spectacular time with Sue and Frank, what could be better than relaxing in a hot tub. The hot tub relaxed me so much that I only made it about half way through that nights movie. 

We loved our Maine vacation so much and felt it was too quick that we had to leave. Thank you Sue and Frank for letting us and our puppies come spend the weekend with you. We love you and miss you already!

Vacations sure are tiring!

23rd Birthday!

Ok I am a little behind on my blogging. I turned 23 on November 1! I am a girl who LOVES her birthday! This is a day when everything is all about me and I get to be completely spoiled. What is not to love? This year was a little different though, I wasn’t really looking forward to my birthday. This was the first birthday that I was spending away from my family, and I was worried it wouldn’t carry that same special feeling. Glenn was determined not to let that happen. Glenn drove way out of the way, since we live in the middle of nowheresville, and made sure I had my traditional Starbucks breakfast. Then Glenn was able to get off work early, which made me a very happy girl. That boy works way too hard! I told Glenn that he didn’t have to get me a present. I know, strange. Like I said I just wasn’t feeling my birthday this year. Glenn completely ignored this and spoiled me anyway. Worried about my complete lack of a winter wardrobe Glenn got me the CUTEST purple wool coat. I loved it, and was happy he ignored my prior decision about no presents. Another fun part of living about 30 minutes from anything at all is that there are no chain restaurants. Therefore we have had lots of fun trying new places. I have seriously been craving some Mexican food, and we went to Haciendas for dinner. It was delicious and I was stuffed after my dinner and my flan! We have a Tuesday tradition that we started when we moved to New York with our friends the Sparrows. They let us come over to do laundry as long as we bring Settlers of Cataan. Deal! I was super sneaky and was the Cataan winner, perfect way to end a birthday. My 23^rd birthday turned out to be pretty special after all. Mucho thanks to my sweet husband for knowing how to cheer up a sad birthday girl.

SNOW!!!

I am a California girl born and raised for over 22 years, and proud of it! California is an ideal location for many because they can drive an hour to visit the snow, on a clear and sunny day, and not have to deal with hassles of living in it. Snow is a novelty to me, and I was ecstatic to say the least when it started snowing on Saturday. All the locals were complaining about how they barely had a Fall, and how this first snow came way too early. I couldn’t possibly fathom why people would complain about this fluttery perfection that blankets everything in the purest white. My idealistic view of snow overshadowed any potential drawbacks. To say that Mother Nature taught me a lesson this weekend would be an understatement. Mother Nature unleashed her full on fury and gave an icy reminder of just how powerful she can be, not caring it was still October.

Living a mere ½ mile from West Point Military Academy means we are now Army football fans!! I had to let my Dad, a Navy man, down gently about this one. For my birthday Glenn surprised me with amazing seats to the Army vs. Fordham matchup. Snow + Football = The perfect day!! I wasn’t naïve enough to think that sitting outside for hours in below freezing temperatures wasn’t going to be cold. I had on three layers!!! I was wearing wool socks, leggings, jeans, thermal long sleeve top, coat, scarf, gloves, hat with ear flaps, and boots. And Glenn, ever the gentleman, gave me his knee length goose down coat to wear on top of all that. I looked like a walking marshmallow. I even made lasagna soup right before we left so we can have steaming hot soup from a thermos to keep us warm during the game. So off Glenn and I went to walk the mile and a half in blizzard like conditions to the stadium. We walk into the sold out stadium and the stands are basically empty. Not a good enough sign for me that locals don’t want to be out in this weather. Between each play ground crews were shoveling out yard lines so the players could tell where they were on the field. The weather conditions didn’t affect Army’s game play though. The players took advantage of the conditions and slid across the snow for extra yards and a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. I was actually feeling bad for Fordham and hoped they would catch the ball at least once. At the start of the second quarter Glenn was pretty sure he was in early stages of hypothermia he was shaking so bad, and we took cover under the overhead and ate some soup. The weather beat us out and at half time we called it quits. Considering the Cadets had bailed from their seats, the band left early, and an announcement was made saying that anyone who wanted to reach their cars needed to leave the game immediately because roads were already closed and closing, we didn’t feel too wimpy for bailing.

Thanks to my extremely warm jacket I was pretty ok, with the exception of not being able to move my toes or fingers. Note to self, just because boots are fuzzy, and pink knit gloves are cute, doesn’t mean they are waterproof. We had just enough time to take a warm shower, and not ten minutes afterwards the power went out, and stayed out for the next 26.5 hours. I love that my husband went straight into survival mode. Sunday morning came, still no power, and I had very frizzy out of control morning hair. Glenn strung an extension cord from the bathroom to the car and used a power inverter so that I was able to straighten my hair for church, My HERO! I am also grateful to the kindness of West Point branch. There was no way we were allowed to go back home with no power. Thank you to the Sparrows and the McVays for making sure these Californians were cared for! All in all it was a memorable weekend, and I’m honestly looking forward to the next snow. This time I will be prepared with proper footwear.  

All SMILES!!

Keeping our drinks cold, just an idea of how much snow.

Half time! Just a few hundred remaining.



Want vs. Need

People love to share their stories of how when they were Newlyweds they were dirt broke and started out with nothing. And every story ends the same… “this was one of the most memorable and happy times of my life!” My parents have recounted stories to me about how they would recycle wrapping paper and sit on lawn chairs…in the house. Now it’s my turn to be at the blissfully wonderful stage of life where it’s ok not to have many material possessions because we’re in LOVE, and that’s all we need! I have learned that you don’t need a dishwasher, and that I am perfectly capable of doing dishes by hand. I have learned that you don’t need a microwave, which I always thought came with a house? I have learned that you don’t need kitchen cabinets. After two weeks of not having our kitchen fully unpacked I am a bit annoyed at this one! I have learned that you don’t need a couch, although after four months we finally have one!! I have learned that you don’t need a dresser. I have learned that you don’t even need a bed. I slept just fine on our lovely Aerobed for two weeks. This was all Glenn could take before he decided a real bed was a need. I have learned that you don’t need internet. Really how is a month away the earliest possible appointment? I have learned that you don’t need cable. The most difficult lesson for me is learning that you don’t need the convenience of having a washer and dryer in your house. I hate the Laundromat! Call me crazy but laundry used to be my favorite chore. I derive immense satisfaction from separating all my laundry just right, and then pulling that light, fluffy, fresh laundry out of the dryer. Glenn and I have gone to the Laundromat once and only once together, in fact Glenn has banned me from going to the Laundromat with him ever again. After tears that he doesn’t sort correctly and that Laundromats are germy I was banned! Now I’m perfectly content not going back and appreciate my sweet husband for doing all our laundry all the time, and he even brings it back folded! Like many before me I love this stage of my life. I love slowly but surely creating a home with my husband. I know that I will appreciate all these things more when we have worked for them together. Honestly the little things about marriage are my favorite! I love that Glenn is the last person I see at night and the first person I see in the morning. I love cooking dinner and sitting down to eat while sharing about our day. I love grocery shopping dates. I love going on walks with our dogs. I love picking out something new for our home that we choose together. I love cuddling! I love all the laughing! I love that we are still learning new things about one another. I love that I am blessed to share my life with my best friend! I am still learning to distinguish my wants and needs, and I will be thrilled when we get a washer and dryer, but I am content and happy with my life in the moment.

Next chapter, New York.

This California girl never imagined that she would ever wind up living in New York. I made a promise to Glenn while we were engaged that I would move with him anywhere, and upon finishing his Masters program he literally applied everywhere. Less than a week after we were married we gave a tear-filled goodbye to CA, packed up a tiny trailer with all our worldly possessions and our two small dogs and these Newlyweds moved to New Jersey. Upon arriving in NJ we knew it wasn’t for us. After a quick four month stint living in NJ we moved again. Glenn had been waiting on two job offers. One was in Peekskill, NY and the other in Columbia, MD. We missed being around friends and family and were really hoping that we would end up in MD. After a torturous waiting process and I am not exaggerating, we found out 36 hours before we moved that it would be New York. This was a major life lesson for me that the Lords plan and our plan don’t always match up. I honestly thought we would be living in MD and was heartbroken to learn it was NY.

I think anyone who has moved before knows that it’s never as easy as anticipated. I have never really had to experience this before, and let me say it is stressful! At 3:45 on Thursday we went to pick up our moving truck with confirmation in hand. Apparently our reservation didn’t matter because they had no trucks! Quick panic attack because we had to be out of our apartment the following morning. Well, after calling every rental truck place we had to drive 30 miles out of our way and wound up with a 26 Foot Trailer! Can you say a little excessive for a Newlywed couple that owns practically nothing? We arrived in New York the following morning like planned and the first thing I see when we walk in our new apartment is a giant hole in the kitchen wall. That was not there when we viewed the apartment. We spent a majority of the day just driving. From NJ to NY then back to NJ to return the truck and then back to New York. With all the stress leading up to the move and the actual move itself by the end of the day I was sick. Lucky for me I have the sweetest husband in the entire world. Glenn told me to go sleep and when I woke up he had all the furniture arranged and the entire kitchen unpacked. Happy wife! Through all the craziness I became even more and more grateful for my wonderful husband who handles stress much better than me. So here I am a New Yorker, and so far life is pretty good.

My First Blog!

Hello!! Welcome to my first blog post! Glenn has been encouraging me to do this for a while now, and I have been procrastinating majorly. I am a little worried because I am not very technically savvy and am still learning how all this works. Now that I live 3,000 miles away from most of my friends and family I thought this would be the perfect way to keep all my loved ones updated on our lives here on the East Coast. We are extremely exciting people so check back often as I write and post pictures about the adventures of the Fantastic Mr. & Mrs. Fox!