Christmas!

I noticed tonight that it had been too long since one of us had posted. The silence is due to the fact that it is crunch time for us. There are three weeks left in the semester and so much to be done in that time! Here are a few pictures from last weekend. In the midst of our hectic schedules we are still finding time to be festive!

The top picture is us in front of the big Christmas tree that is in Daley Plaza. We took this picture last weekend with my sister and her husband. We found out it is not one big tree, but 60 smaller trees put together. Brandon was very disgruntled by that fact, but he still smiled for the picture.

The bottom picture is us in front of our tiny, but mighty, Christmas tree. We can only fit a small tree in our apartment living room, but I still love it. Having a small tree really simplifies decorating, it only took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Jeenyus!

Abe got the tip for this blog test from Matt Proctor's blog and we thought our results were worth sharing. We are so smart, s-m-r-t!

Test your blog and post the results.

Get a Cash Advance

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brandon and I both had to work this Thanksgiving so traveling to be with family was out of the question. We decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our place. We were joined by my sister, her husband, their new baby Wes, and our friend Cyril. I got up at 6:30 to put in the turkey. My first turkey ever! It cooked beautifully.

We spent the day cozy in our apartment eating good food and celebrating all that we have to be thankful for. Brandon and I both enjoyed snuggling our new nephew who is such a blessing. Brandon is at work now until 2 am. I just had my second piece of pumpkin pie. What a grand day! Tomorrow we put up our tree. I love this time of year.

Go Elf Yourself!

After watching this.

Beard Check

Dear Sirs,

This is a courtesy notice to remind you that we are now nearing the midway point of No-Shave November. Thought I'd share a picture of where I stand as an encouragement to you (J. Sanchez) to continue in this hairy venture. The beard is not as strong as it has been. But where my beard is weak, my resolve is strong.

"Continue to fight the good fight of the beard. Hold fast to the beard to which you were called."
1 Beardithy 6:12ish

*** As an added bonus, please note (Shane) the button down oxford shirt. It's not much, but it is a fair distance from my usual semi-soiled t-shirt and hoody. While this is certainly not the fashion show you might have desired, it is partial proof of the renaissance de couture in its burgeoning stages.

keeping up appearances

In a conversation last week I made a mention that I wouldn't mind starting to dress "nicer." My dress has always been a source of interest to those in my life. From Seth Barker wearing his hat "like Brandon Mick" to my in-laws, not-so-subtly, buying me a suit for my birthday last year to someone borrowing a shirt from me to use as a Halloween costume this year. For some reason, my appearance seems to summon all sorts of emotive responses from people.

All of that is fine. I'm used to it. But when I said that I wouldn't mind starting to dress "nicer," my wife responded, "Well that's nice, you are almost thirty."

Nice honey. Nice.

Paul Soupiset

My very own Soupiset watercolor! I fell in love with Paul's work last Lent, when he was in the midst of his lentenblog series. So when Jake announced he was giving away a Soupiset watercolor as a prize for the relaunch of his website, I had to get in on the action. Special thanks to JakeBouma.com and Paul Soupiset. Thoughts on this piece will come soon.

Family

The baby is here! After a really rough labor and delivery I have a new nephew. He is blonde and adorable. I got to hold him tonight and he is just incredible. I am so grateful to have this new addition to our family.
My Mom, older sister, and her kids are also in town. In between hospital visits we saw lots of Chicago. We took the kids to the Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Chicago Children's Museum. It was busy but so fun.
Today is Haley's 2nd birthday. She got to pick out a bitty baby (I think thats what it is?) at the American Girl Store. Haley was so excited!
It has been a weekend filled with blessings. We have so much to be thankful for. Pictures of new baby will be forthcoming when we get parental consent.

Baby on the Way!

My sister is in the hospital working hard to bring my new niece or nephew into the world. We got a text at 3 am from my Bro-in-law that they were at the hospital. No news yet! My mom, my sister, and her kids are all on their way here. I cannot wait! Pictures to come soon!