Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas! (7 months later haha)
Well, Christmas is my favorite time of year. Cold, snow, pretty lights, love, family, Christ. My favorite quote is from my friend, Katie Wieliczkiewicz.

"When else can we sit in front of a dead tree eating candy from our socks?"

I was driving home from visiting a friend in Orem and it was pouring snow outside! I got so giddy!! It felt like home driving in almost white out conditions and I was probably the only one on the road not nervous. I ran in the house, threw on my snow gear, and played outside all by myself. I couldn't have been happier.

Gingerbread houses

I went to Provo and made gingerbread houses with my old college roommates and their friends. Everyone said mine was the best :) I must admit, I did a pretty awesome job!

Zoo lights

I went to the Hogel Zoo one evening with my Aunt Ann, Uncle Calvin, and cousins, Mitch and Parker. It was COLD!! We were bundled and freezing. The zoo had a ton of lights set up. They moved and created animals. They were cool, but it was too cold to stay outside. So we went into the buildings that were open which was mainly the bugs, snakes, and little monkeys. We saw the tigers too.

The best present I've ever gotten!!

My cousin, Mitch and I exchanged gifts. I am so poor and had no idea what to get him, so I got creative. I made him a scrapbook box thing that I filled with some of our Europe pictures. It turned out really cool! Then I got him a movie gift card, Reese's cups, and told him I'd buy his ticket to The Ready Set in March. I came up with a really clever way of wrapping it too, which was really fun watching him unwrap.

He got me the best present I've ever gotten! He heard me talking about the old Nintendo systems and how much I love them. He got me a Nintendo and Super Nintendo combo system with a bunch of amazing games!! I was sooo excited!! We hooked it up and played Mario Kart. It brought back a ton of memories. I couldn't believe it...he is so awesome.

Christmas in Missouri!

My boss is amazing. She let me go home to Missouri for Christmas for 1 1/2 weeks. I left December 23rd and came back on New Years Day. It was really good to be home. I love my family so much and I was grateful that I was able to stay long enough to go to the Single's New Year's Eve dance.

These are the gifts I painted for the kids.

My parents have a new kitten. She is PRECIOUS!!! Her name is Spatches and she was still needing to nurse, so she would latch on to different parts of my clothes and suck. Super playful and nice. My cat, Cricket, was a GRUMP! She hardly let me near her. I was able to take a couple of naps with her, but she was mean. I had a melt down and sobbed. She's my baby and she doesn't like me anymore! She doesn't understand why I had to leave and that she couldn't come with me. Hopefully, she'll warm up to me again when I finally get her back.

Here are most of my Christmas presents. All I asked for are movies. It's all I ever ask for on my birthday or Christmas. My mom did some good discount shopping and was able to get most of my list. I love my parents.

I also got this vintage Tupperware. Haha, I love it!! I am a very sentimental person. This is the exact same tub that my mom has used as our cookie jar my whole life. The fact that I now have the same one for my family warms my heart. It is the only place to store cookies.

We spent Christmas Eve night at Aubre's house. It was so fun! I loved seeing the kids in the morning. I haven't felt that spirit of Christmas in a long time. It was so magical to them. We had a very relaxing day.

The New Year's Eve dance was so much fun! Lora was able to make it back to Missouri to go and Alisha was there. We danced and had fun even though the music wasn't the greatest. They had a countdown on the scoreboard and dropped balloons at midnight. I love those people so much. I really miss being in the singles ward here. They are my friends.

I have to admit though, after Christmas was over, I was ready to get back to Utah. I moved from Missouri because it was time to leave. Although I love my family and friends in Missouri, I couldn't progress anymore. I started feeling that anxiety again that I felt before I moved. Utah is like a magnet to me right now. I am so happy here and I can feel so many good things ahead for me here. I miss Missouri, but it is not where I am supposed to be right now.