Home for the Holidays

This holiday season, I was so lucky to get to return home for two weeks to spend time with my family and friends (another plus for working at public school in Korea)! I had just been home two months prior for my nephew's birth, but even still, I was super excited to get a 'real' Christmas this year.

Of course, I was so happy to see Landon and all of his amazingness (is that a word?)! He had grown so much in two months, and it only makes me realize when I see him in 10 months from now, he's going to be a completely different baby! I took so many pictures of me with my wonderful nephew, so here are a few:

Isn't he just adorable??! I sure do think so!!

Besides visiting with Landon, I also did my usual trip to Abilene to see my aunt and cousin there! My cousin Alichia's daughters are growing up so much too! It feels like yesterday when Abby was born, and now she's already three!! I can't believe it! I expectedly got to help Alichia paint both of the girls' rooms...it was hard work, but the end result was worth it! So because we were so busy, I didn't get to see the girls much, but I did get a minute with them! Here are the pictures I was able to snap:

Along with seeing family, I got to catch up with two of my besties! I hadn't seen Jennifer since she was pregnant with Judson, and he celebrated his first birthday a couple weeks before I saw him. He is such a sweet baby and I was so glad to finally meet him!

I also met up with Kami in Oklahoma City for some quality girl time and a basketball game. It was my first NBA game in a while, and it was Kami's first ever NBA game! The Thunder lost the game, but it was still a nice time! 

And one of the most exciting things was getting my new Mac!! I had been waiting to long to get a new computer and it was such a happy day for me to go to the Apple Store and get the MacBook Pro!!! Hopefully that'll help with updating my blogs!

That pretty much wraps up my trip at home! It was a wonderful time! I'll leave you with a few more pictures of Landon! :)

Meet My Nephew!!

I returned home in October between my contracts in order to be home for a very important event...the birth of my nephew! It was quite an exciting time, and since I'd been away for the entirety of my sister's pregnancy, I was excited to get home for the main event!!

The whole trip was kept a secret for everyone except my mom and dad...so it was super fun getting to surprise everyone! I didn't think I'd be able to pull it off with Facebook and a mother that lets things slip at times, but it all happened as planned! So because it was a surprise, I was just hoping that my nephew would decide to grace us with his presence while I was home. I knew my sister would be induced, but the date was still up in the air...leaving me feeling quite anxious...and her, too, I'm sure!

After all was said and done, Mr. Landon Pesi joined our world on Friday, October 21, 2011, around 3pm. He was welcomed through C-section (not originally planned) into the arms of my older sister, Stephanie, and her husband, Shahveer. It was quite a happy day for our family as we met the first grandchild for our parents. A glorious moment, indeed!

The first thing that was definitely noticeable was that dark head of hair...so cute! I'm pretty sure I was bald until about the age of five! Haha! While others did the 'his nose, her mouth...' stuff, I opted out since I am not good at all of that! As he grows, I'm sure I'll be able to point out some similarities!

With the birth being in my first week home, I was able to spend another week with the little man before I had to head back to Texas. It was incredible watching the teamwork between my sister and brother-in-law, along with the sleep deprivation! I'm not sure there's anything better in the world than holding an itty-bitty baby!

I can't wait to watch this little man grow up and have lots of super fun aunt-nephew moments with him!

A Visit From Home!!

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and younger sister, Ryan, came for a visit to North Carolina! I was super excited and very happy to see them! Prior to their visit, I hadn't seen much of NC myself, so it was a good time for all of us to experience it together! Here are our travels in pictures:

Our first stop was Wrightsville Beach!

A totally different beach scene than I'm used to!

Johnnie Mercer Pier - (Note: You have to pay $1 dollar to walk on this pier...WHAT?!?)

The USS North Carolina. We didn't tour it, but it was a nice sight!
We also went to the Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington.
Back in Raleigh, we enjoyed lunch at quite a famous place around here...Roast Grill!
We also went to a book signing for Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks!!

Me with my favorite author!!

In Durham, we walked through the Sarah Duke Gardens. They had some really beautiful flowers!

Our final stop was Bennett Place in Durham.

We had a good time together, and I was happy to finally see some sights of NC and, of course, to see my mom and Ryan!!

New Job!!

I know, I know!!! It's been forever since my last post! I just haven't been doing anything interesting enough to blog about! This week, though, I started a new job, and I think it's blog-worthy!

I accepted a job at the Hilton right up the road from me in Durham. Right now, I'm the cashier in the hotel's restaurant, and I'm hoping this is a good start to something more to come. I worked for two summers at a resort in Colorado, so I was a little familiar with the hospitality industry, but I'm hoping this job can help me diversify my resume a little more. I have never actually had a job handling money, so I wanted to do something so I could get some experience with that. Also, I'm hoping this will be a good starting point for greater things to come! We'll see! I mean, it's only my first week!

Anyways, I just wanted to let you know about my new job! I'm still loving North Carolina and I'm still happy about the move! Once I get settled in with my job and get started making money, my travels around NC can start!

In other news...CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin, Alichia, on the birth of her new baby girl, Emma! She joins sister, Abby, which you may remember from my previous blogs. I am so excited for the Moons and can't wait to meet little Miss Emma!

A Tribute to My Sister!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!!

Today is my older sister's 30th birthday, so in honor of her, I've collected all of the photos I have around here and posted them for you to see!! Stephanie was such a cute little girl and is now a beautiful woman! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful sister!!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Stephie! I miss you and I love you!!

Miss Abby!

Before leaving for North Carolina, I took a little trip home to Abilene to see some family. Of course, I was particularly excited to see Abby and how much she has grown. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

Ridin' along in her automobile!

She's so excited! I love this picture!We wore her out at Kohl's!

Eating some of her Aunt Stephie's yummy pork tenderloin...she was loving it!Helping her mama get ready!

That's all for now! Until next time...