Forget tomorrow, live today

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished project, time still to be served, a debt to be paid and degree to achieve, a job to land. Then my life would begin.

Then it dawned on me that these obstacles were life and that I couldn't wait for the perfect moment for everything to just click (adopted from Alfred D. Souza).

We are always transitioning, changing and growing...but we must appreciate and accept where we are at the present moment.

Today I will accept my flaws and honor my strengths. I will tell my support network I love them and thank god for all his blessings. I will try and make the day a bit easier for someone else and put my job sulking aside! Most importantly, I will get out of this house, away from the job search engines and go have fun playing broomball! Yep, its the little things in life that make us smile!!

Oh, and I today I got an interview! Not an offer, not a dream job proposal, just an interview. But I will take it and celebrate it!

I think it was due to Rebecca's sunny flowers she gifted me! It provided the optimism I needed!!

Christmas blog in January!

Well, I guess I was too busy celebrating the holidays to write about them and the past few weeks I have spent sooo much time on the computer searching for a job, that I couldn't get myself to sit and blog.

So- quick recap of the Czerwinski holiday celebration....
Christmas eve we usually begin at my dad's house since I have 3 younger brothers and we like to still pretend Santa is coming. Lets admit- its just more fun for everyone that way! During the day we took advantage of the snow-less Christmas and played some ice hockey on the perfectly smooth lake. I mostly just skate around which was I guess obvious based on the fact that people told me I was holding the stick the wrong way!

In the evening we went to a candlelight church service followed by a nice dinner of beef sandwiches.These past few years my dad and I have gone to Costco beforehand to plan out the menu. We were quite proud of how well the crock-pot beef sandwiches went over this year considering we have a large spectrum of picky eaters. We also didn't wait until the last minute to shop this year and since I am unemployed, I offered to wrap all the gifts (that was before I really realized how big of a commitment that was!) so everything came together pretty well in the end.  Overall, especially compared to a few previous holidays spent in the hospital for random events, this Christmas was calm and relaxing.

The morning is always my favorite because we have our traditional homemade cinnamon rolls (which turned out only mediocre this year so I need to stick with the old recipe) and multiple cups of coffee while slowly opening gifts from each other and Santa.

Later in the afternoon we usually go to my mom's for a big dinner and we open gifts later in the night. My mom went way overboard with food (as usual) and made a turkey, ham, twice baked potatoes, famous tequillaberry salad, rolls, and of course dessert. This year we had brandy cake and cookies. She even told us to bring Tupperware for leftovers and we brought home food that lasted a week! My mom truly creates a Christmas wonderland with tasteful, elegant and well coordinated festive decor. The presents are perfectly wrapped with matching shiny bows! Everyone gets PJs to wear and way too many gifts (even though we are all adults now). I guess she needs some grandkids to spoil. This year I got a mixer and a handmade apron. It was by far the most relaxing Christmas ever and so wonderful to know I didn't have to rush back to Georgia after for school. I felt so blessed with a healthy happy family holiday!

After Christmas, the family time continued as we drove up to Michigan's UP for a ski trip at Indianhead. We all love skiing and its a great way to spend a family vacation since none of us can really sit still.

Dave and Dan

Bill and Matt

 We were so grateful to have been invited to stay with the Andrews at their cabin. They invited my dad but we still aren't sure they realized we were a family of 7!?!? I have four brothers and Dan came along too. When we arrived they were all quietly reading by the fire and then our spitfire family took over the quietness.

Lots of fire-cooked s'mores

Jessie the cutest cabin dog! 

Bill, John and Krista

David and Elizabeth 

The Andrews cooked every night so we ate well on chili, breakfast burritos, spaghetti, ice cream, cookies, s'mores... and the list goes on. After skiing we had appetizers, played cards or games, had some cocktails and warmed up by the fire. It was like vacationing in a winter holiday greeting card! They were amazing gracious hosts and I especially enjoyed having women around too since I am always way out numbered.

Cabin Trivia 

Tequillaberry Salad recipe

http://www.food.com/recipe/Tequillaberry-Salad-68042

Gustafson Christmas

I think the Holiday extravaganza is coming to an end after weeks of celebrating with all sides of the family. A few days after I arrived in Minnesota, we had our first Christmas celebration with the Gustafson family. Both Dan's sister and brother's family were there so the house was filled with little kid laughter and Santa excitement.

Before the gift opening, the kids dressed up and acted out the Christmas Pageant as Maria (Dan's sister) read aloud. Abby, the oldest of the little ones, ran the show with her memorized lines and angel animation! 

Teresa- our little sheep! 

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=25837fe51f737c2a2f762628e38c6d8e&sid=0AaN3Lhi5YsWKibC

Post pageant we opened gifts. This year, Cars, Minnie Mouse, Buzz Lightyear and American Girls appeared to be the hot trends. I was glad to be this years elf and loved shopping for the kidos- especially Abby since it meant a trip to MOA and the American Girl store. I have more doll stuff than I should admit to and I probably appreciate them even more as an adult! 

After gift opening we had a nice dinner, dessert and then worked it off with a "Let's Dance Wii" marathon. Its harder than it looks but watching the kids dance along and hearing their giggles was the highlight of the day. I think we repeated the hamster dance well over 10 times! 

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It was a great Christmas celebration and I was so thankful to be here this year knowing I didn't have to rush back to Atlanta. Minnesota has always been home but its finally starting to feel like one again after years of rushed holiday visits and school breaks. 

Fiona posing for Lisa

Dan reading to Timothy and Fiona