Christmas 2010

My Christmas was fab, and as usual I only took two pictures and both are of Liam playing with his toy that I got him for Christmas. I had a nice relaxing vacation and got a good haul from Santa - including the best blanket ever, clothes, a crockpot, a new pea coat, and numerous other goodies. Delightful! I love Christmas, and I'm always so sad when it's over. Everyone loved their gifts I purchased for them, I love that part of Christmas! Well until next year!

A Full Heart

Today is my last day of work for a week and I'm feeling pretty good about that. I've had a stressful December at work, and today I can finally get to my desk. It's piled so high with papers that I'm sure I'll find something that needs to be done. I would take a picture but there are confidential papers on it (I know I'm important), so just visualize. I mostly wanted to talk about the experience I had today actually. Every year our work adopts 5 families in the Idaho Falls area that needs help during Christmas time. Our employees are so good, they donate gifts and a lot of money to make sure each one of our families has what they need and want during Christmas. I had the opportunity to be really involved this year, from finding the families, to shopping for them, wrapping up the gifts, and today we delivered. We went to this house in which a mother lived with her two daughter's age 10 and 7. The ceiling of their house was just black tarp and come to find out the mother just had brain surgery in September. The house is in much need of repair. The mother showed us the Christmas lists of her two daughters; the first one explained that she wanted a violin, a kitten, and most of all for her mother to be healthy. Then she concluded with this:

 "Santa, I really actually don't need anything this time of year, I just want to be with my mom and sister, I am sure there are others who need it more than me".

When I was reading it I just started crying in the house, here I am a 26 year old who had a full page of wish list items on my list, and because my mom is amazing she gets a lot of what I want. This 10 year old girl who is wise beyond her years recognized that family and love is all you really need during Christmas. I was so humbled as the mother wept and expressed her gratitude for the 2 big garbage bags full of gifts her children would receive on Christmas morning. Little did she know that she gave me so much more today than we gave her, a full grateful heart, a smile on my face, and a remembrance of why I love this time of year. I hope and pray I can keep that feeling with me always, the spirit of Christmas and gratitude for the Lord and all of his tender mercies he has given me. God bless us, everyone. May you have a beautiful Christmas, and remember the reason why we celebrate this season, the birth of our Lord.

It’s Almost Here!

Ok its crunch time, 9 days until Christmas which means 8 more days of shopping. Wow, that's sick. I would like to think that most of my shopping is done, except for a few people. Never ending I guess. I have now resorted to shopping during my lunch hour, which makes me in a hurry to just run into the store and buy what I need and move on, or online. I LOATHE paying for shipping though, so I've trolled around to find who has free shipping and who doesn't. Most of the big stores now have their big push before Christmas so Wal-Mart and Best Buy both have free shipping. Thank you kindly!

Another random thought, I do NOT miss finals, not in the least, I do however miss that feeling of being done with that last final and knowing you have NOTHING to do but sit around (as Hyrum said read books and watch movies). I still have 5 days of work left. That is probably why I need to become a teacher, a nice looonnnggg Christmas break.

I'm also excited for Jenn, her brother Coleman comes home from his mission tomorrow night. That's the best thing in the whole entire world, to see them walk through that corridor. I get teary eyed just thinking about it. Presh!

Christmas Miracles

Miracles happen every day, but it seems that I notice them more during Christmas, probably because the reason for the season is a miracle in itself. Anyway, this weekend Sarah and I ventured down to Salt Lake City. I really wanted to see Jenn and I really wanted her help in shopping for some Christmas gifts for my family (since she's like pretty much family). So we left after work and after a brief stop in Moreland, we were on our way. Jenn and I caught on some gossip (per usual) and then went to bed, we had a BIG day ahead of us. We decided to be out the door by 9:00 (to beat the holiday rush at the Sandy mall). Christmas Miracle #1 – a better than Handicapped spot by Macy's! Hooray! There were some awesome deals and we spent a good amount of time in Forever 21 because it's amazing. I decided to stop by Pac Sun to just look at the guy clothes, and Jenn found this awesome present for someone in my family (since most of the read my blog I cannot disclose who it will be going to), but I couldn't bring myself to spend $40 on it. After much thought though, I decided it was perfect and went up to the cashier with the rest of my items in hand. When my total WITH TAX popped up on the screen it said $40.84, Jenn and I looked at each other like "was that on sale?"… there weren't any signs around it or anything. So I hurried and bought the items and we both RAN out of the store before the clerk told us that there was an error. Christmas Miracle #2 – I saved $30 total at that store by whatever reason, clerks mistake or what, definitely a miracle. The mall was starting to get packed so we decided to get out of there before we went crazy, so lunch at Sweet Tomatoes (why doesn't IF have one?) and then on to Gateway. Christmas Miracle #3- parking there is insane, and hard to find. We went into the parking garage trying to find something when we spot this car waiting for a pick-up to reverse, I told Jenn, "I don't think that pick-up is going anywhere", so the car in front of us moved and what do you suppose, the pick-up started to reverse and we got a SWEET spot! Delightful! We spent a good deal of time in Urban because that store has some CRAZY cool things (like an extend-o-fork) and just walked around. Good people watching at the Gateway, and we thoroughly wore ourselves out. We then met up with Sarah and Katie for our Christmas Miracle #4 – a backstage look at the Conference Center, and our own personal tour guide on Temple Square. It was really awesome, that is one thing that should be on everyone's bucket list. Katie then took us to an Indian restaurant that was SO GOOD. I loved it! We arrived home very tired, but happy nonetheless! Sunday was delightful, and I'm glad I got to see Jenn and just spend some one-on-one time with her. I think we BOTH needed it! That is my Christmas Miracle #5!

PS – Some other things I learned this weekend:
Coffee shops are cool, sugar free Italian Sodas are gross, Indian guys are cute (some) and think that black licorice is an alcoholic drink, you'll always see someone you know on Temple Square it's inevitable, a lot of work goes into to making sure Temple Square is ready for Christmas, the bums at Temple Square are really well off, sometimes shopping is better when you have someone to do it with, it's ok to feel overwhelmed and stressed out sometimes, and life is about making yourself happy….

Jenn & I at the beautiful red tree

Beautiful!

I just love it!

Stressed Out

It must be December because this is how I feel:

All of the sudden work just became a living nightmare. Not enough time to get everything done, and steady stream of people in my office wanting their stuff done first! So instead I just laugh, this morning I was laughing so hard I started crying. I remember in college thinking that I would be so grateful to never have finals again because it's way stressful, I TAKE IT BACK! I would happily study for 2 hours and be done!! Good times... Vacay is still 3 weeks away!

Christmas Randomness

So this weekend I wandered around the mall (if you can call the pathetic arrangement of stores in Idaho Falls a mall), trying to get some Christmas shopping done. Sadly, I just got a couple things for dad. I just didn't know what to buy. That's why I've decided it's pointless to Christmas shopping unless you know what you are going to get. I got a few ideas, but here's the weird part, when I Christmas shop, I think I like to do it with people who know the person I'm shopping for (if that makes sense). I love to shop by myself, in fact I prefer it, but for Christmas I want others opinions. Like "oh do you think my mom would like this?" or "do you think this will fit them?" Anyway, I'm only made a small dent in my Christmas shopping this year, I better get on it, it's only 24 days until Christmas! That's why I know I'm going to make Jenn shop with me this weekend in Utah! I better start making a list!

Also, I do love Christmas music, it's been playing on and off since Nov. 1^st! I do have my list of favorites:
O Holy Night
Jingle Bells (sung by Barbara Streisand)
Muppets 12 Days of Christmas
Silent Night (it makes me cry EVERY time I sing it!)
Carol of the Bells
The Christmas Song

Ok so mostly all Christmas songs I love, but there are a few I really don't like, in fact I skip them or change the channel:
Christmas Shoes
Santa Baby
Any hick Christmas song… like I heard this one called Camouflage and Christmas, sick…

What are yours?

The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills

I love TV, and after living 4 years without it in college, I don't think I could live without it. OK if I had to. Anyway that isn't the point; the point is I LOVE the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. So for one all the other housewives can claim to be rich but they are paupers compared to these women. I mean Adrianne OWNS Interscope Records and the Palm Resorts in Vegas. Um hello. Her house and Lisa's too, cost at least 30 million. Last night they went to a party of a man named Muhammad (oil tycoon I'm guessing), and they were all in awe of his house, 60,000 square feet. What do you do with a house like that? Anyway, there wasn't much drama this episode which is nice sometimes (considering last week I wanted to punch Camille in the face!). Camille is Kelsey Grammer's wife (well ex-wife now), and she thinks she is Angelina Jolie because Kelsey is a A-list actor (sister, Kelsey is more in the B- range these days). My favorites are Lisa and Kyle; they are the most sensible by far. Anyway, I think the reason that I love this show so much is because even though they have more money then I will EVER see in my lifetime they have problems (and sometimes more) than me. Husbands who are LAME (Taylor) or don't love you anymore (Camille), or a crazy sister etc… Plus who doesn't want to escape for an hour in someone else's problems (this is probably why I LOVED The Hills so much too). If you haven't watched a least one episode you should at least check it out, if nothing but to humor yourself (and to see all the plastic surgery), Thursday nights on Bravo. Here is the question though that I always wonder, what do these women do when they sit down to watch themselves on the TV (please you know that they do) and they see all the backstabbing that goes on? I would keep detailed notes, so I could bring them up at the reunion, that's what I would do!!

*side note – my other favorite housewives are New Jersey (both seasons are just great), and New York (this latest season was CRAZY)!