Christmas Vacation 2014

After we finished up out fun at the MIAMI BEACH BOWL we climbed into the car and began our 20 hour journey to Keller, Texas, Mike's home town.
What made this even better? A stop in Alabama to see my sister and as a bonus, my parents were there visiting her!

It was so good to see them and especially so close to Christmas! I don't know when the last time was I saw Candi at Christmas!
After a good little "nap" and breakfast we drove to Bessemer to visit Mike's mission. I loved seeing one of the areas he served in.

We finally got to Keller and it was so nice to see the house all decorated and of course the family!

 We played plenty of cards, our favorite game, Nertz!

 Every time I come to Texas I have my list of places we have to eat. Texas really does have a lot of my favorite placed that you can't find in Provo. I think Texans love donuts because there is a donut shop on every corner. We figured we deserved a sausage roll, or 3 from our favorite shop.

Michael really enjoyed having a backyard to putter around in. He helped clean it up, built a fire pit and we all enjoyed it.

On the 31st, we rang in the new year with Caspian, the friendliest of the kitties. He didn't think we were as funny as we did.

I can't go to Texas and not visit a Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives location. We chose North Main BBQ and it did not disappoint.

A Children's Museum visit complete with planetarium show.

 To say that Laura and I laughed this trip is an understatement. This was taken while grandma was yelling at us because we were laughing too loud, which made us laugh even harder.

This is Dave and Rebecca Smith. Dave was Michael's Young Mens leader when he was a teen. They have recently been called to serve as Mission President in the New York New York North Mission. We were able to visit them and chat about everything going on and it was one of my favorite nights! I am so excited for them and all the wonderful things they will do while serving the Lord in New York. I am also SUPER excited to be designing their mission blog so you'll here more about them later. 

Finally, because you need something to laugh at.... 

While heading to a favorite Keller mexican restaurant, Kassandras, I ate it and ate it hard! 

 

We had such a wonderful time celebrating the holidays in Keller with Mike's family. Now, it's home for Michael's shoulder surgeries. 

Fort Worth on Dwellable

Log Wall Christmas Tree

Here we are in the Christmas season and I'm loving every second of it!

During our last cooking class lab, our instructor put on Elf while we made candy - this is already starting out to be a great Christmas.

It started with a great Thanksgiving weekend too! A trip to the lake, seeing the new Mockingjay movie, and Tucanos were highlights for sure!

To finish the night off, we put up our Christmas tree and I think it's beautiful! 

We had a blast doing this tree and it's a great option for anyone who lives in a small apartment. Plus, there is little to no risk of fire without those pesky needles.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Christmas 2012

I love Christmas! It's a chance for us to spend time with family and relax. We love getting to escape Provo and go somewhere different for a little while. It gives us the recharge we need to get through another grueling semester. What would we do without these breaks?

I was looking through my pics from Christmas and I came up with a list of some of my favorite things about Christmas time:

1. Wrapping presents - I just really love doing this. I secretly really want to be a gift wrapper at the mall or something because nothing is quite as fun as making a package beautiful!

2. Watching movie after movie after movie! Lately we have been loving Pitch Perfect! Fat Amy rocks it!

3. Looking at Christmas lights. It's been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember! Now I get to do it with my nieces and nephews.

4. The Christmas giveaway from K.Yeck Designs. It was so fun to do and we had a blast picking the winner. Not to mention that my hubby makes a gang good lookin' assistant!

5. The silliness of Christmas morning.

6. Giving gifts they are sure to love and having wonderful friends come to the rescue with an extra game console so the hubs can play! Thanks Stephanie!

7. Sending this Merry Christmas pic to our friends who know us so well!

8. Last but surely not least, I love that this season gives us an opportunity to spend a little EXTRA time thinking about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the efforts of Mary and Joseph in bringing forth their little babe on a lonely night in a stable so that he could save the world and ask for nothing in return.