Christmas in Koh Samui, Thailand

It's been almost a month since Christmas, but here is our Christmas in Thailand recap!

After a twelve hour overnight train ride, a bus ride, and a ferry ride, we made it to our resort on the island of Koh Samui around noon on Christmas Eve. 

We checked into our incredibly beautiful resort and were upgraded to a private bungalow. 

For the afternoon, we decided to explore the resort, sit by the pool, and walk on the beach.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Gala on the beach provided by the hotel. There was a buffet and live entertainment. The food was so good and the entertainment was better than we were expecting. We ate and laughed and danced to the music. It was the perfect Christmas eve. 

We started Christmas morning with the incredible breakfast buffet at our resort. The fresh fruit was the best part, other than the view. (Ignore Jake's face, he really was happy)

After breakfast, we claimed our spot by the beach/pool. Then, we got Thai messages in a bungalow on the beach. It was the best message I have ever had. They put you in all sorts of weird positions and even throw you over their back. I would have loved to have pictures of how funny we looked. It will probably be the best massage I will ever have, and only $10!

We spent the rest of the day reading by the pool, walking on the beach, drinking fruity drinks, and eating a lot. It was the perfect weather, not too hot. I did end up getting extremely sunburnt.

Our spot for the day(and all the days we were there)

On the beach in front of our resort was this little food stand with corn, egg rolls, shrimp, chicken, and fresh fruit. There was always a line and is smelled so good, so we had to try some. The food was awesome, especially the corn! Jake was hooked. 

My favorite was the pad thai lunch deal the resort brought to you at your beach chair. It was so good!

There were also vendors walking along the beach selling items. Jake got a fedora and I got a swimsuit from the sweetest lady. 

Most of the day we forgot it was Christmas. When you are used to cold, fires, and hot chocolate, the beach doesn't always feel so Christmasy. It was fun, though, and lots of people were in the Christmas spirit!

That night, we got dressed up and went to dinner at the Fisherman's market down the street. We walked around the market looking at the different booths and food stands and then relaxed in some of the cute cafes. It was a really fun night!

It was not a traditional Christmas, but it will be one we always remember. It was so fun to spend time together and to appreciate the opportunities we have been given. 

All of our days in Koh Samui kind of blended together because we did the exact same thing everyday. We ate breakfast at the buffet, laid out, walked on the beach, got messages, went to dinner, walked around the night market. We used the time to relax instead of sightseeing, and we were so glad we did. We would definitely go back to Koh Samui some day!

Merry Christmas from Thailand

Christmas has come and gone on this side of the world, but I wanted to stop in and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We are enjoying our time here in Thailand and are in the relaxing portion of our trip. We had a wonderful Christmas, but missed our family a lot. We are looking forward to ringing in the New Year next week!

Merry Christmas from Bell Bliss

Christmas Celebration

We celebrated our Christmas Friday evening since we will be gone on actual Christmas day. This didn't seem out of the ordinary as we have a hard time keeping secrets anyways so the presents under the tree might not have lasted much longer.

Every year my family eats fondue or clam chowder on Christmas eve, depending on what side of the family it is. My grandma sent us a package of cheese fondue, so we decided to have that for our little Christmas eve. We ate fondue and opened presents and then let Lexie have her presents. What kind of dog parents would we be if we didn't get her some stuff?

We eat at the coffee table, a lot. 

Lexie was under the impression that this was her present

Lexie's new bed

For our "Christmas Morning" we woke up and I made this awesome breakfast casserole I pinned from Chelsea's blog, Anchors Aweigh.  It was so good!

The rest of the day was spent packing, making last minute arrangements, and running last minute errands. Jake spent the entire day relaxing as he did not feel good. My theory is that his body realized he was finally on vacation and gave out after going non-stop for the past few months. This vacation came just in time!

And that was the extent of Christmas cheer over here. We are not sure what we will do actual Christmas day, maybe just hang out on the beach. We are excited to see what Christmas day in another country has to offer!

Happy Holidays

High Five For Friday 12/20

Hello! Happy last day of work before the holidays to most of you! I've been feeling guilty about being excited for the "break" since I don't have school or a full time job. I guess my main excitement comes from the fact that I get to spend uninterrupted time with the cute man in my life. I know that he is so ready and so deserving of a break.

{ONE}

I feel like I am finally getting the hang of this stay at home wife thing. This week I was so busy and felt like I didn't even have a minute to sit down. And that was after I turned down a couple of social events because I was sick. I feel like I know how to keep myself busy and fill my days with meaningful things. I keep wondering how I will fit everything in if I ever start working full time. 

{TWO}

I was thinking today and wondered why I was so busy this week and then I realized I spent most of my time making holiday treats. I love holiday baking and Jake asked me if I could make treats for all of his coworkers and Marines. My grandma sent me a cake-pop kit, which I have had horrible luck with in the past. I decided to give it a try again, despite everything in me telling me not to. Even though they were a pain and so time consuming, they turned out well and I kind of enjoyed myself. I felt very proud looking at my 85, yes 85, cake pops. My mouth literally dropped when Jake late came home and told me he needed treats for 40 people. I picked my jaw back up, ran out to the store, and made more treats. We also had a cookie drop for the single marines, so I was pretty much baking any free moment this week. It made me miss my momma, who always makes the best holiday treats and is always so giving around the holidays. It was exhausting, but it made me happy knowing Jake was so proud to hand out my masterpieces and that I might have made some homesick Marines smile. 

{THREE}

Speaking of holiday treats, I was at the exchange preparing for our trip. I was buying every travel size toiletry in sight and decided I wanted to pick up a few things for our stockings. They have aisles and aisles of Christmas goodies set up right now, which is nice because we can feel like we aren't missing our favorite holiday stuff from the states. But seriously, what is up with the holiday candy situation? That stuff is super expensive! And ridiculous. There were boxes of chocolate the size of my entire upper body. Who needs that much chocolate??

I did run across some excellent Ghirardelli chocolates. I have been doing everything in my power to stay away from sweets, but between baking and other sweets we have gotten, I am like the freakin' cookie monster. I can't stop eating sweets! I have never been like this, potato chips have always been my weakness. I can really tell the different in the way I feel and look when I eat sweets. It makes me realize why I care so much about eating clean. This new year is so needed so I can "give up" sweets all together and get them out of my house and out of mind!

This bag had eggnog, peppermint bark, and pumpkin spice. I had some self control and put this back on the shelf and only got a small thing of peppermint bark for Jake's stocking. 

{FOUR}

Monday I went to lunch at Dean's Kitchen, a cute cafe, with a friend. I was so happy to find out that this island has so many cute cafes and places other than sushi and ramen. I have always loved cafes that have character and good food, and this island sure delivers. I have a list of all the places I want to try while we are here and I sometimes get overwhelmed. Slowly, I am crossing everything off of my list. 

{FIVE} 

We leave for Thailand on Sunday. I almost wanted this week to go slowly, not because I'm not excited, but I feel very unprepared. I don't know if it is because I planned the trip spur of the moment or if it is the first big trip I have planned myself. I am just nervous I am forgetting something or haven't made the proper arrangements. I also get overwhelmed by wanting to plan every minute and at this point I haven't made a specific day to day plan. I decided I wanted to go with the flow and decide things as we go. This may be stupid, but it may be to our benefit. We will see! 

This weekend we are doing our little "Christmas" celebration and packing, which we always seem to put off until the very end. In less than 48 hours we will be off on a crazy adventure!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, and Jennie

Christmas Card Shoot + Christmas Card Reveal

I was so excited for this fun little photo shoot at the beach near our house. I really wanted to have pictures of us on this little island we call home. These are some of my favorite pictures of us to date, not because they are perfect, but the definitely capture our couple "personality."

And our Christmas Card! Due to time constraints, I made it myself on Picmonkey (for those who don't have photoshop/photoshop challenged) and had them printed and then found envelopes at the store. I've learned that life living abroad, you make things work and you just have to be happy with it. In the end, it's a Christmas card and it's that thought that counts!

Why I Hate Christmas Shopping

High School Jake and Mackenzie. You're Welcome

Ok, I know I sound like a total scrooge, but hear me out. I love giving. I love giving a gift that I know the person is going to love and that is a complete surprise. Sent each other emails of exactly what we wanted or just buying it ourselves, Jake and I used to be so good at giving each other presents. We used to buy each other things that were a total surprise and that we would really love. One year Jake got me this beautiful peacoat from Banana Republic. I hadn't ever mentioned wanting a coat, but I loved it. He picked it out himself. It is something that I will have in my wardrobe for years and years.

The hard part is that we can't always give gifts in this manner. I wish I could be one of those people who remembers exactly what everyone mentioned they wanted throughout the year, but I never do. When the time comes, I draw a complete blank. These days, most people buy things they want when they want it, which leaves their Christmas lists short or unattainable. It is fun to buy people stuff they may not ordinarily buy themselves, like cutesy jewelry or housewares. My problem is, I am super practical and like giving people something they will use.

I'm not blaming other people, because I am usually the same way. If I want something smallish, I usually buy it myself. That leaves my "want" list full of things like a DSLR camera and Frye riding boots. Do I expect people to buy that stuff for me? No, especially not as an adult. I don't even expect my husband to get me that stuff (I think a trip to Thailand is way more than enough). I find myself wanting things throughout the year, but when someone asks, I have nothing to tell them. This leaves them giving me money, which is a great gift in my book, but makes them feel like they aren't getting me anything fun or exciting.

Christmas is so over the top these days. I know people who get tons and tons of presents for their family members. Kids are getting more presents than they should own in their entire childhood. I hate this Christmas ideal that we should be getting all of these material things. It leaves everyone feeling that if they are not giving a lot of things or expensive things, it isn't a good present.

Every year I try to remember what really matters this time of year. I want my presents to be from the heart and something that people will treasure and appreciate. Thankfully, I have had a lot easier time this year being in a place full of tons of interesting things I want to share with others. Thanks to that, I am feeling a bit less "scroogish" this year. I am looking forward to this season of giving, even if we are far away from loved ones.

Do you enjoy Christmas shopping? Are you hard to buy for? When do you get your Christmas shopping done by?

First Okinawa Thanksgiving

This past week has been pretty hectic between Jake coming home, Thanksgiving, and getting Christmas presents sent off in time. Jake has been super busy with work since he got back but he did have some time over the long weekend to relax.

We spent Thanksgiving with two other couples. We all cooked some of the meal, but my friend was nice enough to host and to make the turkey. She did such a good job, especially for her first turkey. I told her I was super glad she did the turkey because I hadn't ever done one either and I didn't want to mess it up All of the food was so good and we probably had enough to feed at least 15 people. We had fun eating, playing games, and staying up really late. It was so much fun that it helped us keep our minds of off missing family during this holiday. I would say it was a successful first Thanksgiving on the island.

I didn't get any pictures of the people on Thanksgiving, but don't worry, I managed to get pictures of the food

Those are just the appetizers

Sausage balls, my favorite Thanksgiving tradition

Friday we slept, a lot. Mostly because Jake was still catching up on sleep from his trip. We also ate tons of leftovers. I did a bit of Black Friday shopping online and wasn't one bit sad I was missing it back in the states, since that is my least favorite Thanksgiving tradition. That night we went to our favorite ramen place and then to see Catching Fire. Ramen the day after Thanksgiving may be our new tradition. The movie was pretty good, but as always the book was better.

Saturday morning we watched the Cowboys game on rewind while we ate pumpkin pie. I knew Jake was sad about missing his tradition of watching the game on Thanksgiving, but he was a good sport about it. Somehow we managed not to hear the results of the game before we watched it. The rest of the day we unpacked and cleaned. The house got a bit out of control when Jake got home. If you know anyone in the military, you know how much gear that have. It looked like the Marine Corps threw up in our house. That night we had a photo shoot with a photographer on the beach for our Christmas cards. Late, I know, but not by choice. Hopefully we will be able to get them out before Valentine's Day.

After dinner at a local Japanese restaurant Saturday night, Jake got a call that he had to go into work on Sunday. Let's just say I was not a happy girl since we already had plans to get out and explore. I tried to hide my disappointment so I wouldn't make Jake feel bad since I knew he wasn't excited about going into work either. We did have some time Sunday morning to make breakfast, get some Christmas shopping done, and grocery shop, our favorite thing to do together.

While Jake was gone, I managed to get some Christmas decorating and wrapping done. I don't go all out with my decorations, but I do like some little hint of Christmas here and there. Christmas cheer always puts me in a good mood.

This DIY felt garland was easier to make than I was expecting

As soon as Jake got home from work, we went for our Sunday beach walk. I have to say, the weather here has been absolutely incredible. I won't ever complain about not getting a fall if I can have a winter like this. The mornings and evenings are cool, but the days get up to the low 70s and it is perfect. I have only been through 2 seasons here so far, but I am really thinking that winter might be my favorite.

Lexie loves laying outside all day

That's about it. Sorry I don't have anything more exciting to share. This week I am finishing up Christmas shopping so I can start preparing for Thailand. Less than 20 days, how crazy??

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do any Black Friday Shopping?

Linking up with Logan, Sami, Kimberlee, and Carissa