Our Christmas Wish list

Well hello blog world!  

It's hard to believe it has been over a month since my last blog post.  I didn't plan to take a blogging break but sometimes life gets in the way.  I just did not feel inspired to blog and frankly, creating blog posts had become a chore.  I found myself writing posts just to satisfy a goal of 3 blog posts per week.  In my opinion, that's no way to blog and no way to live life.  So I have vowed to put my energy only into things I enjoy and am passionate about.  I enjoy this blog, so I'm back for now, but plan to only write posts that I enjoy writing, even if that means I only post once a week.  Speaking of things I enjoy, there's no better motivation to start posting again than the holiday season and it's requisite wish lists!  But before I get into our wish list this year, here's what we've been up to since my last post:

*We recovered from our Fall full of travel with several relaxing weekends 

at home which included many trips to our amazing local farmer's market.

*VABeau started and is still growing a beard which has quickly become a yearly Winter tradition for him.  I can never decide how I feel about this.  It's fun to see a different look on him, but I definitely look forward to the big shave whenever that happens.

*I got into my first car accident several weeks ago and many of you saw the damage to my beautiful jetta on Instagram.  I am so grateful that no one was hurt but it is beyond frustrating dealing with insurance companies and relinquishing my car (which was just 6 months from being paid off!) to the body shop for a month.  Fortunately, the guy who hit me has insurance and got a ticket for his horrible driving skills.  It has definitely been an experience!

*As a result of the accident, I have had a rental car for the past two weeks.  My first car was a 2012 jetta with a bit of an engine problem so VABeau ended up trading it in at Enterprise for the only other car available at the time (thanks to hurricane Sandy), and I am now the proud (& reluctant) driver of a 2013 Chrysler mini van.  I never ever wanted to drive a mini van, even when we have kids one day, but this top of the line van may have convinced VABeau that it will be our next car purchase.  He is obsessed with the disappearing seats, the dvd player, the back up camera, and the built in cooler.  I may have no choice but to become a mini van driver one day after all!

*Finally, we spent our first holiday with my parents in Fredricksburg after their big move last week.  It was definitely different not celebrating Thanksgiving in my childhood home but it was so nice to all be together.  I had to work Thanksgiving, the day before, and the day after, so it was really nice to be able to drive the 45 minutes to their house each night after work and still get to have some of the delicious leftovers.  Best of all, VABeau was able to spend his days off with my brother and parents instead of at home, alone, while I worked.

So that's the past month and a half in a nutshell.  Now for the fun part-Wish lists!

Since our wedding day, somehow the majority of our Christmas wishes have ended up being joint wishes.  So I decided to start off the wish lists with the gifts we both want for our home:

iMac

We're in serious need of a new computer with mucho memory.  We haven't had a desktop in ages but with our IPad, an old mac book, and a work lap top, it just seems ridiculous to buy yet another portable device.  Besides, I'm hoping having the new computer sequestered in the office cuts down on our multi tasking and forces us to turn off  the computers more often when we're home together.

Starbucks Verismo
An espresso machine has been on our list for ages but lately I've found myself torn between putting that or a Keurig at the top of our appliance list.  Thanks to Starbucks, I don't need to make the choice!  This machine sounds amazing, it makes individual espresso, lattes, hot cocoa, and coffee with the touch of a button.  

Espresso Mugs
To go with the amazingness above!

Voluspa Eden & Pear Jar Candle

We are huge Voluspa candle lovers and our current favorite scent is Eden&Pear.  I have a small jar candle but thanks to VABeau's uninhabited lighting of it, it burned out at record speed.  So it's time for a new and bigger candle to take it's place.

 Victorinox Carry On Suitcase

We scored one of these amazing carry on suitcases at Costco a couple of years ago but have been unable to find another one there since.  It is the perfect carry on and holds so much that even I can pack for a trip in it!  We're hoping to get a second one so that we each have one for our travels.

What's at the top of your wish list this year?