noche buena in nc

A very, Merry Christmas to all of my followers, friends and family! This is my first time ever to not be celebrating Noche Buena (Christmas eve) in my entire 28 years with my family. It is very hard, but I have to remember about how lucky and blessed we are to have them in our lives and each other. Nothing is more important than family. I've come to REALLY understand that the past 3 years. I will be OK.

God has blessed us with so much and here's to another great chapter in our fairy tale. We are full of faith and He never lets us down when we need Him the most. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Now off to marinate that turkey full of Cuban goodness! Oh, you didn't know? Yes, Erika is making her first official turkey. But something tells me this will be a team effort. My nails are too pretty in red to rub that turkey.

RONNIE!!!!!! :)

white christmas?

We've been "nesting in nc" for almost 3 years now and each year we have gone home to Miami for Christmas. But this year we are staying put and having Christmas like grown ups and like our own little family. It is bittersweet. Even though I've never experienced Christmas without my entire family, I am looking forward for Christmas between the two of us and creating our own official first family tradition(s). Not sure what they will be yet. But I think this will not only be a memorable one because it will be just the two of us, but it is looking like it will be a WHITE CHRISTMAS! Yep....SNOW! On Christmas! Being from Miami, we have never experienced such a thing in our lives! I think I will shed a tear or two seeing the snow...even if it is just on the ground! What a blessing.... especially since this might be our last Christmas in our first home. Merry Christmas!

addicted.

christmas at home.

Christmas is finally at the Wray home! Phew! With so much going on, I barely got through decorating. Lights outside the house will probably not make it out because of the wet and busy weekends we've had. But we are ready inside! I picked out a bigger tree this year. I wanted a 7 footer and we managed to pick it out in 32 degree weather last Sunday evening at about 8pm. Talk about luck It rained all day Saturday so we had to wait. Not many new decorations this year, except a few ornaments we picked up on trips from this year (Disneyland, Biltmore House, Ronald Reagan Library) and some new kitchen decorations.

We wish you could be here with us to share our Christmas with you...but you are in our hearts. It is a little bittersweet this year because this may be our last Christmas in our first home. We will be spending it in NC and not in Miami with my family, too. But we are very lucky, hopeful and looking forward to what our future brings. We rely all of our fate to the Lord. God is good! Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family...our love and prayers for many Christmas blessings!

The mantle.

Tree closeup

Last year's Christmas card.

Our first Christmas card, 2007

View of the family room

My new favorite ornament I picked up at the Biltmore House Christmas shop.

First year of marriage and engagement ornament, the slipper. :)

Picture of the night we got engaged.

Our entrance

decorative pillows. I love the "Christmas Kisses" so much.

Kitchen towels

My favorite this year....my candyland in the kitchen!

Jackie's Fantasy Bridal Shower

My BFF Jackie is getting married in January 2010 in Walt Disney World! You can imagine how excited this makes me. I love weddings and I love everything Disney and I love my best friend's Jackie and Lino....PERFECT COMBINATION! We held her Bridal Shower this past weekend. I am the Bridesmaid and I had the honor to help with and plan to throw her bridal shower. The inspiration? Alice in Wonderland! The cake was made by the fabulous Cake Up Artists Nicky Negrin

Ronnie's 30th Birthday!

We celebrated Ronnie's BIG 30th birthday yesterday with a small bbq dinner at our home! I wanted to make it really special, so I decided to throw together a Yankees theme dinner party. Many of you know my hubby is a HUGE Yankees fan ever since he was a little boy. I thought it was even more appropriate since they won the World Series just a few weeks ago. We are on a budget, but I still managed to throw something cute together without breaking the bank. Here are some pics from last night. We really had a nice time and the cake was not only perfect, but delicious! (BTW, I got some nice compliments for my "hostess capabilities". That totally made me feel special. I know I get it from my mami. Thanks Mom!) Tell me what you think! We wish you were here!!!!!

My 28th Birthday!

I turned 28 on October 17. We didn't really have much planned to celebrate my birthday. Like I said in an earlier post, the weather in NC in October was rather dreary for the most part. But the hubby suggested we head to Asheville for the day. And I couldn't pass that up because I've always wanted to visit the Biltmore House! The house was breathtaking and the leaves were almost all fully turned. Just beautiful scenery, even though it was really cold! I really enjoyed my birthday to the fullest!

Pumpkin Pickin'

Our pumpkin pickin' wasn't so exciting this year. Mainly because hubby and I both got really sick with terrible, terrible colds! We had to wait till almost the end of October because the weather in NC on the weekends in October were rainy and cold back to back to back. On the day we decided to head out and pick out our pumpkin you can tell the day was a little overcast and we didn't look so hot. :( But never-the-less, we still managed to pick out a rather nice one, even though the patch didn't have many to choose from anymore! Enjoy the pictures!

getting ready for the fall!

We've been busy getting ready for the fall. And we are thrilled it is here! Leaves are changing and flying, days are breezy, nights are chilly and the ghosts and goblins are preparing for hallows eve. So far, I've decorated around the house and Ronnie has been busy seeding and fertilizing the yard and trimming the bushes. Here are some pics of our decorations.

Thanks Martha. I always love your festive kitchen towels at Macys!

Thank you Target for your cheap and CUTE decorations located in your dollar spot! :) Inside I've placed those battery operated tea light so they light up in the evenings. Spooky!

I had saved pine cones last year and I got creative using a serving dish! That is what you see in the center. And, of course, MY decorating isn't complete without a touch of Disney. Except, when I took Tinker out of her box, one of her wings had broken off. Nobody puts Tink in a box, apparently. Need to get crazy glue to fix it.

And finally, my lovely new door mat, which I love!

I'd take a pic of the mum flowers on each side of the mat, but they aren't fully bloomed just yet.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

dear blogging, how i've missed you!

My fellow blog readers,

I apologize for neglecting you! It has been a stressful and busy past 3 weeks. Back to school madness! And on the weekends, we've been cleaning or just resting. So, not much has gone on. But I am hoping things slow down a bit soon, so that I can plan and think about the exciting months ahead. Within the next 6 months:

-I turn 28! ah!

-My pa's 50th birthday in Miami! BIG FAMILY PARTY!

-Ronnie's best friend's Lino's Bachelor party in Miami in October.

-Ronnie turns 30 in November!!!! The BIG 3-0!

-Our 2 Year Wedding Anniversary! Where does the time go!

-Then, the holidays, of course. We are thinking of doing Miami for Thanksgiving.

-My best friends Jackie's bridal shower in November in Miami.

-Then Jackie and Lino's wedding in Walt Disney World in January!

-And last but not least my best friend's Janelle's bridal shower and wedding in February!

Whoa! Told you there would be excitement within the following months! We are looking forward to everything. There is also A LOT of changes that might be happening in our lives, but I am not ready to reveal what they are. Good changes, but non the less, difficult decisions to be made. We are excited for whatever our future holds. But the "waiting to see" part is very hard.

I will keep you posted on the latest happenings.

Like Mickey Mouse....see ya' real soon!

Ikea Madness

On Saturday, Ronnie and I thought about heading to Charlotte for the day. (well OK, it was my idea!) But we wanted to spend time doing something fun together, since were apart for 5 days. Charlotte is about an hour and so away. And I thought about going to Ikea. It opened during the spring and I've been dying to see what I hear so many people talk about. And, boy, did we see! The parking lot was filled with cars. We were surprised. You could imagine Ronnie. He was not having it, but was being a good sport. It was madness! I was impressed with the accessories for the home. But Ronnie and I agreed the furniture was not our style or taste. I think the stuff would be great for like an apartment and I loved their kids room designs and accessories. But there wasn't any furniture that I felt I would want to go cheap on in my house. I definitely prefer more quality for our home. But I did happen to love a lot of decorative pieces. I picked up a great little lamp we have been needing for the guest room. And the perfect decorative pieces for my kitchen window sill. Check them out!

Overall, it was fun. And I definitely go again. But I will probably will have to convince the hubby somehow! :)