for the love of puppies

My family has been begging for years to get a new dog. We have a cat and and all, but if you know our cat then you know that he is very selfish and bipolar and doesn't meet our needs like a dog does. As much as I want my own little doggy here in Virginia, I have realized that it just isn't the right time with the apartment living and moving: someday, someday. But in the meantime, I am an honorary dog mama to my sister's dog...and now my family's new dog!!

It was so fun for our fam to open up a puppy on Christmas morning. My sister Melanie shed some tears.

 Nothing makes you happy like a dog does, in my opinion. If I were a doctor treating people with depression, I would prescribe a puppy before resorting to medication: seriously. I mean, how could this not make you happy??

victor looks like he is jealous of the love i am giving the puppy...

It's also hard trying to take photos of you with two adorable, active doggies. 

And just for your information, the puppy's name is technically "Beckham," because Melanie is a soccer fanatic. But I will still secretly call him Jimmer. 

Pre-Christmas Festivities: Temple Square

We went to see the lights at Temple Square, and it was also a good chance to see my old violin teacher performing with her students. I used to do this every single year as a kid/teenager. I thought it would be fun to watch.

Melanie and Victor on the other hand, were not so convinced. Case in point:

I realized that they were right. The repertoire hadn't changed a bit, and it was pretty boring. And so I cried, "now you know how I felt for having to do it EVERY year!" Victor responded, "just because you had to endure it doesn't mean we should have to!" How rude. It was still fun talking to my teacher though: I hadn't seen her for at least 5 years.

When we walked outside, the sky was so beautiful, and I just have to share these awesome photos I took with no editing help. It was awesome. 

We also stopped by Deseret Book for some free gingerbread cookies

So that was fun. 

The end.

12 Resolutions for 2012

--get in better shape
--eat healthier: and by that, I mean things like not counting a snickers bar as a meal
--try not to be so bossy
--hang up my clothes
--call my grandparents more
--get a job
--watch "clueless" more often
--read scriptures more with my husband
--read more books: suggestions welcome
--practice the violin: maybe find a teacher
--learn how to sand/prime/paint old furniture
--get a tan

I think these things are completely do-able. That's why they are on my resolution list, because I am a realist, and I don't make crazy resolutions that I know I will never keep. Like people who don't eat chocolate for a whole year. What's the point in that? Accomplishing that goal brings you nothing but a year without chocolate, which I think is sad.

Anyway, some other things that I really want to do this year, but that may or may not happen due to things being out of my hands, are these:

--Go to Europe. Romania of course, but also Western Europe or what some snobs refer to as "the real Europe"
--Move somewhere cool. Stay tuned.
--and lots of other traveling, if I had my way. Like the Dominican Republic again, Seattle and Portland, Boston, and California, since husband has never been to San Francisco.

And yeah, happy new year!

I can't handle this

While I was away from Utah for six months, THIS happened

 My fourteen year old brother thinks he's so cool, outgrowing his twenty-four year old sister.

Well, this put him back in his place!

My baby brother is not so baby anymore. It kind of makes me sad! And despite being taller than me, I'm glad for his sake that he's not a little shortie.

scenes from christmas

You probably haven't ever seen pictures of me on Christmas morning. That's because I intentionally hide any that exist, since usually we open presents first thing in the morning---in other words, I look like crap. But since we went to church first and then came back to open presents in our pajamas, I thought I would share this time around. And while we're on the subject, can I just say that I loved having Christmas on a Sunday? It was wonderful going to church and just chilling the rest of the day.

It was great to be with family. I love Christmas. 

this was plan b for the holiday card

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Love Annie and Victor,

Who felt awkward in the making of this greeting card.
But luckily we were in Times Square, where nobody judges.

Are you getting a New Year's kiss? Now that I'm married, it's not that big of a deal anymore. Oh well.
Love you all. See you in 2012.

The Best of 2011

2011 was a great year---one that I will always remember. It was also my first entire calendar year of blogging, so I have it all documented here! Let's look back, shall we? Presenting one year in the life of Andrea/Annie Ostler/Castro. (My name has changed a lot this year as well, apparently)

In January I announced my engagement to the interweb: everyone was so sweet and supportive. That's a great way to start the year! We both had to go back to school, and then I visited him in NYC where we saw Mary Poppins with my new fiance's sister.

i'm still in love with this sparkle

February was ok, but winters at BYU are rough. Good thing we had Jimmer to cheer us up. I also visited fiance in NYC again: obsessed much?

eurotrash 2011

March involved lots of wedding planning, lots of school, and some fun on the side with my besties. I got to present my senior capstone paper at an English symposium at BYU, which made me feel like a real scholar. That was fun.  My fiance came for spring break, and we took engagement photos. It was tricky to get nice pictures when it's so ugly in March, but somehow we made it work!

We also planned on running a half marathon in Moab, but chickened out and ran the five mile race, except for my hard-core bestie, Kimmy. I had never been to Moab, so that was sweet.

In April, I finally bought a wedding dress, and, of course, did more wedding planning. Fiance came to Utah again to see me fake-graduate from college, and we also took bridals/groomals in St. George. We got to go to Zion's Nat'l Park (one of my fav places on the planet), and hang out with my sister. And the weather was wonderful. I also started my very last school term as an undergrad, which was very exciting.

May was mostly stressful and emotional: you know, the typical bride stuff. But I got to meet Tim Gunn, so that made it better. And then, me and my parents went to Annapolis together to see my homie graduate. It was a really, really good weekend. And what made it even better is that for the first time in a year of long distance dating, there were no more good-byes, because Victor came back to Utah with me to get ready for the wedding.

Oh, June. You were the best month of them all!! We went to St. George again and visit my old stomping grounds at Tuacahn.

photo used without permission from Sarah

And then, I finished school for real. The night of my last final was the night of my rehearsal dinner, which was such a wonderful night. It calmed me down after so much school and wedding stress, and at that point I realized that all the planning was over, and it was just time to sit back and take in every minute.

My wedding day was such a happy day. It was full of my favorite people, beautiful weather, and a brand new husband.

We then spent one wonderful honeymoon week in the Dominican Republic and it wasn't enough. I can't wait to go back. Then we finished the month moving to the land of Virginia.

July was one hot month on the east coast. We headed back to NYC for the 4th of July and saw "Anything Goes" on broadway. We also walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. We had lots of fun that month. It included my parents visiting for a day, celebrating my b-day in D.C. with friends, and then celebrating Victor's birthday in beautiful Williamsburg.

The rest of the summer involved exploring Washington D.C., going to Civil War reenactments, crafting, decorating my apartment, and enduring a hurricane.  We celebrated Labor Day in NYC, of course. It's the best! We saw "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" with Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, and we loved it.

My friend Lindsay came at the end of September and it was so fun showing her around. And right after that, my parents came. It was awesome.

In October/November, I went to Arizona to see my other sister, and we had a great time. I got to see my first mission companion, and we also went to see Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, Taliesin West. During all of this, my poor hubby was camping out in the woods.

November in Virginia was beautiful. The fall colors were so pretty. And we went to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and explored Richmond. We also went out of town for Thanksgiving, to...you guessed it, NYC! Our good friends Megan and Alicia came with us, and we also met up with Victor's bestie Zach and his girlfriend, who both came down from Boston. It was a fabulous weekend, and my husband got some much needed rest from work.

December kicked off with Christmas parties and holiday decorating, and Victor had to endure one week in the woods (I re-read The Hunger Games during this time and imagined Victor's time in the woods to be something like this: hungry, tired, and war---minus all the killing) before we could finally head off to Utah for Christmas!

christmas pajama party

If you made it through this post, good job. I really enjoyed putting all of this together, because it was a great way to remember all the awesome things that have happened this year, and all the great people they happened with. I have a pretty wonderful life. I'm so thankful for all the experiences I have had this year, and for all the things I've learned. Thanks for being a part of it.

Let's see what next year brings!