Book Club

Our book club met earlier this month after reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. We all LOVED the book! It's rare for our book club for all of us to have read the book, but to all have liked the book...that's something to take note!

Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful time of year to celebrate with family and friends! We are so grateful for fantastic family and super friends. We are so lucky!

We started out in Lima, Ohio with Brent's family. His mom celebrates Christmas the Saturday before Christmas. That keeps it easy for all family members. We spent the day at Brent's mom's house that was filled with lots of people and 6 little kiddos running around. Christmas is a whole new game when little ones are in play. Kevin had a pig-pile of kiddos on him!

All 16 of us sat at the table, which was fun. We were squished, but that's what the holidays are all about, right? The traditional trimmings were consumed...ham, mashed potatoes, dressing...

The evening ended with a mean card game of euchre. Brent is pretty sure he and Dennis won...
I wouldn't know...I went to bed!

On Sunday, we stayed in Lima, but we went to Brent's dad's house for Christmas festivities. Complete with pizza and presents! Natalie was the only little one. Natalie opened her 'easel' and called it her computer. Brent and I got her a stool, which will come in handy in the house.

We then hopped into the car and drove to Kansas City to spend Christmas with my family. We ended up picking my parents up at the airport from their 25 (!) day cruise down to Brazil and the Amazon through the Caribbean. They are now certified scuba divers and are loving this new hobby! In fact, they have suggested that Brent and I get certified as well and then can go traveling together to scuba. Sign me up!

Christmas morning our household woke up to snowballs being pelted at bedroom windows from our dear neighbors, the Foxes. You can't be mad at them...it was Christmas AND they shoveled the driveway!

Dad played Santa for the Fox grandkids. They melted when the saw Santa and believed every word. It was great! Santa (and his crew - Brent, me and mom) went over to Mark and Anne's to have Santa visit Jacques and Alex, but Jacques was having nothing of it. "I know you're Uncle Jake! I know you're in a costume!" Alex just cried. Too cute.

We then went over to the Fox house (whose house was really full of family!) for dinner. Including kids, there was a table set for 20. Wowsers! Even though we're not "family" in the traditional sense, the Davis family and the Fox family are certainly family, if you know what i mean. Lamb, salmon, brussel sprouts, gnocchi...yum-o!

Meet baby Jude. This is Catherine Fox's baby. What a laid back, beautiful baby! At 30 days old, he already has a handful of nicknames...Judah-vision, Jude the dude, Judah-bug. For those that may not know, Catherine and I grew up together. The wall of photos behind me is a wall of history. I've seen the same pictures for years and years, but each time I'm at the house, I find myself looking at them all again and reminiscing.

Enjoy the season!

For more pictures of each event, I have them uploaded to my picasa page.

Lima Christmas

Lima Christmas part 2

KC Christmas

I Voted

I voted today...Did you? I used a great website to learn about the issues that I was voting for. http://smartvoter.org/

For the past several weeks I've heard ads on the radio, saw ads on TV and drove past billboards advertising all sorts of issues..."vote yes on issue 6" or "vote no on issue 3". That can get confusing trying to remember what each issue is about. I have enough to remember in my brain that I don't need to stress it out when I can use that great website.

Last night Brent and I sat down and read through the issues. Man, they're wordy! That website was fabulous for sorting through the verbal mumbo jumbo and getting to the heart of the issues.

And I got a fancy schmancy sticker when I was done voting!

Cape Cod Wedding

I'm trying to upload pictures from my uncle's wedding in Cape Cod in September. I have pictures on my Picasa site, but I can't figure out how to move pictures from my Picasa to this blog? They're both on this google thing so you think I'd be able to do it, but I can't figure out how. So...all you get is this.

http://picasaweb.google.com/cindycullen117/CapeCodWedding#

Go take a peek yourself. Hmph.

haircut

Last week I got a new haircut...

got it all chopped off! I totally love it. What took me so long after the weddding to chop it?

Anniversary Fun

The cake wasn't that bad...but it wasn't that good either. It wasn't preserved in the freezer very well and so I'm blaming that as the reason it wasn't as moist.

Lauren's 30th

This post is WAY overdue...

Back in August (I know that seems like forever ago!) Lauren turned 30. Lauren's husband, Niel, Stephanie and I worked together to plan a surprise party for Lauren. It went off without a hitch and Lauren was truly surprised! Those are the best!

This is Lauren walking in...the look on her face is just priceless. That's when you say to yourself "yes! we pulled it off...she really is surprised!"Niel made every guest a necklace that had Lauren's picture on it. It was fun! And of course, a picture of the speechies who were there! Stephanie (with child...Killian made his appearance less than a week later), Summer, Jill, Lauren and myself.

Score!

I had some time this weekend to scratch some things off my to do list that have been nagging me. One was to buy some wedding gifts for 2 upcoming weddings. I looked online first to see where I wanted to shop and seek out what I wanted to buy and then I was going to go to the store to get it (to avoid shipping costs and time wandering around the store!).

I figured out I needed to go to Bed Bath and Beyond to purchase one of the gifts. I get there and they don't have what I planned to get, so I had to quickly think of another plan. I see that they have two china place settings at a really cheap price. How do I know it's a cheap price? Hello?! I got married just over a year ago and registered for the same china pattern and know what it costs. I ask a staff person to show it to me. They just so happened to be on the clearance shelf because this particular BBB doesn't have a fine china section and they're not able to resell it due to something so minor that I couldn't even tell. So I bought them both. Over half off! Regularly $95. On clearance for $39.99. Plus, I had 2 $10 off coupons. Score! The bride and groom will think that Brent and I are high rollers...but guess what? We're so not!

Now I have to figure out how to peel off the clearance tag that's on the boxes and we'll be all set. Hmph.

Cape Cod

Tomorrow I fly off to Cape Cod, Massachusetts for my uncle's wedding. I fly into Boston and my parents are picking me up there in their rental car and we're driving to Cape Cod. I'm very excited because I've never been there before! I'm also excited to see my family. They were all here in Cincinnati for our wedding a year ago, but I didn't get to spend that much time with them because I was a little busy getting married! So Cape Cod, here I come!

Brent will not be accompanying me on this trip because he will be in Chicago for a certification training. He is getting certified to be a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, la ti da, i know! He goes one weekend a month for 10 months to Chicago to get this certification. Maybe some months I may travel with him and visit with friends while he's busy. We'll just see.

Cullen Chiropractic and Wellness

...is in business! Make your chiropractic appointment today!

Brent began seeing patients this week under his new company! It's a very exciting time for us! I just know in my heart and my gut that he (we) will be successful with this endeavor. Patients rave about him all the time about his calm demeanor, excellent bedside manner, vast knowledge and his determination to find the problem and not just treat the symptoms.

A patient recently said:

“Dr. Cullen is one of the finest health care professionals I have ever visited. His level of knowledge is impressive and he always takes the time to investigate and diagnose the root cause of your health concern instead of merely treating the superficial symptoms. His attention to detail, superior attitude, and great bed-side manner is evident on every visit!”

Cullen Chiropractic and Wellness Center, LLC

Brent Cullen, D.C.

4904 Wunnenberg Way

West Chester, OH 45069

(currently located in Tri County Spine and Rehab)

513-365-CCWC (2292)

bcullen@cullenchiropracticandwellness.com

www.cullenchiropracticandwellness.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/brentcullendc

Consolidation

Hello and Welcome (back) to our new website name. It's really not any different to you out there, but it's different for me, so just stay cool. When I first signed up to use a blog, I signed up under my old gmail address. And then i went and got married and a new gmail address to match my name (naturally), so whenever I wanted to blog, I had to sign out of one and sign into the other and the cross information was just driving me nuts, so I'm consolidating.

Consolidating is so nice. I think that's what this past year has been about: consolidating. Consolidating money. Consolidating insurance plans. Consolidating email addresses. Consolidating stuff.

Cindy...Are You?

This past Friday, Megan and Brent had a date to work on stuff for Cullen Chiropractic and so I got to play with Natalie.  Brent and I spent the night at Megan and Kevin's, so the worker-be's could work late into the night.  Which they did. 
Natalie is putting 2 and 3 words toghether...at almost 15 months!  She likes the "Daddy/Mommy are you?"...meaning, "Daddy/Mommy where are you?" and since she knows "Cindy" and "Uncle B" she makes new sentences "Cindy are you?"  so darn cute!   Even after we left, Natalie was asking "Cindy are you?"  I love it.  Brent is a bit jealous, but that's okay. 

look at that cheesy smile!

Newlyweds No More!

Happy Anniversary to Brent and Me!

Today celebrates one year of wedded bliss. I can't believe that it's been a whole year already. I woke up to breakfast in bed (omelet, turkey bacon, cinnamon rolls and mimosas). We then walked up to Hyde Park's Farmer's Market. Shockingly, I've never been there before. Next time we go, we'll have to bring money so we can have some waffles! We have dinner reservations tonight at Quarter Bistro in Mariemont. Never been there, but it came recommended so we'll try it.

Brent and I were thinking of what events have transpired over the last year as a married couple.
1. Week vacation in Cancun, Mexico (honeymoon) September 2008
2. Dennis (Brent's step-dad) had knee replacement surgery.
3. Brent and I (and Dad) devised a plan to surprise my mom for Christmas. She thought we weren't coming, but we drove to Kansas City and she was truly surprised!
4. I turned 30! January 2009
5. At the beginning the year, Brent's Dad lost his job.
6. And then, Brent lost his job May 2009
7. Our niece, Natalie, turned one celebrating with a penguin party June 2009
8. Week vacation in St. Augestine, Florida (Steph and Craig’s wedding) June 2009
9. Brent's air conditioning went out in his car while we were in Florida - what a long drive home!
10. Because Brent didn’t need to shave for work, Brent grew a beard. In Florida, Brent’s scruff turned into a beard. He decided to keep it.
11. Brent started his own company – Cullen Chiropractic and Wellness Center!

The Girls from Ames

I just finished reading my book for bookclub. It was The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow. It was a quick read! It's not your typical book where there is a plot, a climax and an ending. It was more stories being told by 10 friends who have been friends for 40 years. It really made me think of some of my friendships, especially those that I've had since childhood. They joke in the book that they don't remember specifically meeting each other, they just always were there. I have often thought the same thing about my friendships. I don't remember meeting them, they have always been there.

Happy Fourth of July

Brent and I traveled to KC over the holiday weekend. We stayed with my parents and made the rounds to many friends (unfortunately not all). We celebrated with the Foxes, of course. Catherine was in town with her new fiance, Zach. ...and a baby bump! She looked fabulous as always.




We watched fireworks and Jacques was SO excited for them...it was all he talked about! He was even excited about staying up past his bedtime. He is such a hoot.



He was also into telling jokes. He had one that he had mastered the delivery. Brent also taught him a knock knock joke. It's the "knock knock, who's there, banana...knock knock, who's there, banana...knock knock, who's there, orange...orange you glad i didn't say banana again?" So Jacques thought that's how the knock knock jokes went. you name a fruit, say it a couple times, then change the fruit after a couple times. Four year olds are hilarious!

New Kids

I got the opportunity last minute to go to the NKOTB concert! if you don't recognize that, you may recognize NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! Danny, Donnie, Jordan, Jon and Joey! I don't think I had a favorite back in the day, but I certainly have a favorite now. It's Joey.

This is a girl in front of us, who was desked out in New Kids gear. She was also sporting this kickin' purse decorated with New Kids pins. Who's jealous??

The guy in front is Jordan. He is a close second to Joey in my book. After the song, Jordan took off his shirt and threw the sweat soaked cotten shirt into the crowd. Girls SCREAMED for that thing!

The finger is pointing right to Joey. They were so close to us! "Please Don't Go Gilr!" cause I'll be "Hangin' Tough"!

Swimming with Natalie

Brent and I (Uncle B and Aunt Cindy) watched Natalie today. We were going to just watch her in the afternoon, but when Natalie's "real" babysitter cancelled, we got the chance to watch Natalie ALL day! what a treat!

Natalie Turns One!

Natalie turned one year old on June 9th! She had a penguin themed birthday party on the 6th. Megan took the theme and ran with it because everywhere you turned there were penguins!