Merry Christmas.

After almost 13 years we finally stayed home for a Christmas Holiday. We did miss seeing family for the day but we also equally loved watching the kids get to play with their new toys. I think we were happy with the path we took when we got more family gifts and less "stuff" for the kids. Yea we are just buying entertainment but I think we did pretty good. It was also nice to pay cash for everything.

The kids got plasma cars. What are those? I dont really know except they go on their own and they just go-Not sure how but hey- cheap fast and easy. They also got the Sunday clothes and socks. They were happy about those-well they said they were. Sean and I took them up to the hill behind the school. It was small enough that Patrick could try out his new snowboard and the others to burn off energy. It was fun and the kids came back ready for a big dinner. Thank goodness I started it before we left. It was a big one! That finished off the kids and they all kinda trickled into their area and did their thing. It was a great day.

So-Sean and I are walking through walmart getting some of the last of the things-Yes Walmart-that is ALL we have in this little town. So, anyway, I am getting ready for a game night with friends and looking at the chocolate for the chocolate fountain we are setting up for that night and a guy comes walking up. About 25 and very G-Q. Very much like my little brother. He gets so close to me I start backing up and he tells me "I have had a good year this year with my business. Use this or I am sure you know someone who would need this. But if you need it you use it. Merry Christmas" and walks off. He just put a $100 bill in my cart on my jacket. Like the highly intelligent person I am I just stood there staring-

By the time I got myself together he was gone. So I stood. . .and stood. I heard a woman say thank you around the isle-I went over there as he said " you dont need to thank me" to another person and I hugged him.

Talk about Christmas Spirit-

Its paying it forward and I was on both ends of the spectrum. It was weird and very cool at the same time.

Last night the snow started. It was fun...to watch...up close...as we were putting up lights...still. So we finished the lights and spent the night settling down. Getting things done for the house to look like we are actually moved in. We all spent some time at a drug prevention night at the high school. It was alot of fun and I do think that the message came across to all of the kids. Then there was Pizza and kids singing-Patrick opted out thinking that the song sounded like a girls song. ok-I get that.


We are excited for the holidays. We are really hunkering down and spending time with the kids. We are seeing that at only 11 Patrick is closer to leaving us then staying. That scares us a little.

Sean and I also got to see Glenn Beck thanks to a little sister! She talked with a guy doing interviews and by the time they were done I think he had to leave the interview line because he had no tickets left. She milked him out of not 2 but 8 tickets for all of us to go to his "Christmas Sweater" show. We tried to wait for him but he took too long and after a while you just gotta teach those celebrities a lesson in manners. Ha Ha!!! I left feeling like Christmas could come and I was ready. I felt the spirit and I felt a great amount of love for my family. It was a great boost for our Christmas holiday cheer. I am so glad for this time of year and so glad for the feelings that come along. Being in the great mood we were in I guess we were being challenged. About the time we hit Thistle -1 in the morning-we saw two college kids walking clumsily along the road. They had swerved to miss hitting a deer and rolled off of the side of the mountain. It is a serious drop. Good thing we had 2 cars and switching kids around made it so we could take these guys to the local hospital. We dropped our kids off and I went with them to the hospital. They were pretty out of it so I just talked to them hoping that their shock would wear off soon. It did and by the time we got there they could carry on a conversation. About 3 :30 am Sean and I hit the sack for a quick nap before church. It was a good day-everyone was safe!

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

I am so glad that today is today. It was a good day. It was a good Family Home Evening night and we were able to spend some time with the kids. The fire is going and the Christmas lights are on. All the lights but the tree lights. Maybe tomorrow I can pull things together to get those up. Sean is about tired of all the of the lists of things that need to still be done. I hope after the holidays we will be able to get on the list that will make the list go down. Does that make sense?

We are in that place now that says-come in to this house and relax. Smell that Christmas smell? I don't feel like its ours yet but maybe after the first house payment we will get a better idea of the obligation we have to the house because it has fulfilled its end of the bargain. It is serving its purpose-right now.

More pictures as I reminisce-

I am so glad that today is today. It was a good day. It was a good Family Home Evening night and we were able to spend some time with the kids. The fire is going and the Christmas lights are on. All the lights but the tree lights. Maybe tomorrow I can pull things together to get those up. Sean is about tired of all the of the lists of things that need to still be done. I hope after the holidays we will be able to get on the list that will make the list go down. Does that make sense?

We are in that place now that says-come in to this house and relax. Smell that Christmas smell? I don't feel like its ours yet but maybe after the first house payment we will get a better idea of the obligation we have to the house because it has fulfilled its end of the bargain. It is serving its purpose-right now.

More pictures as I reminisce-