Little Wheezy

Christmas at the Fowlers was great...except for the part where I caught a cold on Sunday and was sick the entire time I was there. Oh well. If there's any kind of sickness going around, you can bet I'll catch it.

I was feeling much better after work today and decided to go for a 2-mile run. That was a bad idea. Aaron has been calling me "Little Wheezy" all evening. Honestly, I've never been one to wheeze...but between trying to get rid of a cold, battling killer allergies, and the MOLD growing in the vent system in our apartment, I'm not really surprised I've begun to wheeze. Maybe I should have my lungs checked out...

Anyway...Christmas was wonderful! Although Christmas is NOT about the gifts we receive, I did get some really cool stuff:

• Sean and Tonia gave Aaron and me 12 glass bottles of Jones Pure Cane Soda (Strawberry Lime flavor) with our wedding picture on the labels! The soda is special because it's made in Washington state where they're originally from. I don't have any idea how the soda tastes because I can't bring myself to open the beautiful bottle!
• Aaron's parents gave me a new pair of Asics running shoes! I've needed a new pair of running shoes for a long time...and I haven't worn another pair since I got them!
• We got lots of ornaments for our future Christmas trees. As a newly married couple, we didn't have any of our own ornaments with memories attached...but now we do! When our kids are decorating the tree 10 years from now, we'll be able to tell them the story that goes along with each one :)
• My parents gave me an embroidered CITADEL hoodie! I love supporting my brother and his school...so I can never have too much Citadel paraphernalia.

I got lots more stuff, but those are just a few of the highlights. More than getting gifts, I like to GIVE gifts.

• Since Sean and Tonia are such coffee junkies [Sean is actually a coffee snob :) ], I made them some dark chocolate biscotti to go with their coffee. It was my first attempt at making biscotti, and it didn't come out half bad if I may say so myself.
• Aaron and I gave our parents some really neat photo albums from the wedding using a website called mypublisher. The books were absolutely gorgeous and exactly what I had imagined. I think our moms have already shown the books to everyone they know. No, seriously.
• I stole one of Paula Deen's ideas and made "Cookie Mix in a Jar" and "Brownie Mix in a Jar". They were a huge hit with all of my girlfriends because all they had to do was dump the mix out of the Mason jar into a bowl, add butter and eggs, stir, pour into a dish, and bake! And the layered ingredients looked really cute in the jar with a ribbon tied around the top :)
• I think I baked stuff for Aaron to take to work every day last week. Baked goods are a wonderful gift because it's something I put my time and effort into...and at this point in my life, time and effort are extremely valuable to me.

Well, I think it's time to let my husband drive my wheezy self to the Harris Teeter to get some chicken noodle soup. Mmmmmm...