New Years Eve!

So For New Years Eve this year I went to our regional young single adult activity. In years past it has been a formal affair held at a really fancy house outside of Santa Maria. This year however it was changed to a more casual affair held in a workshop. It was a good time. My uncle was in charge since he is in the SM singles ward bishopric and my Dad did the BBQing so dinner was great. Then there was dancing, interspersed with live band performances. Here I am (above) with my friends Diana and April and (below) with my cousin Katie and a family friend Marie who came with me. It was a great way to ring in the New Year with family and friends!Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Day!

This Christmas Day was a little strange for us because we had been up so late on Christmas eve talking to my sister Brianna who's on a mission to Romania that we slept late... and for the first time in my memory there were no pictures taken on Christmas morning (which for those of you that have ever either a. lived with me or b. seen me in the am before my shower...you know that those pictures are never good of me anyway). So the only pictures I have of Christmas Day are a few that I took at my Aunt and Uncles house latter that day. Here's one of my Grandma and Grandpa playing their guitar and harmonica respectively. I've always loved listening to them play...there's something comforting about it. It was a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve!

Every year we spend Christmas Eve at my Grandma Shirley's house. We visit, we eat, we open presents, and we have the family talent show. Well this year my aunt Lynn bought some special plastic tubes that make a noise (musical note) when you whack it against something... she started out the talent show by passing out the tubes not telling us what was going on (note: this is how she tricked my grandma into participating) then she set up the color coded music on her handy music stand and we went for it...needless to say it was hilarious as you can see from the photo above we are quite the talented family, especially my Dad and I.


Last year I started a talent show tradition for myself by sharing a family history story and also sharing what I learned about how they celebrate Christmas in Norway (where the ancestors in the story came from) so this year I decided to share about another family of our ancestors and share how they celebrate Christmas in Sweden. According to my research they decorate their trees with their flag and also with wooden hearts (to show that everyone is lovable at Christmas) so here I am with the flags and wooden hearts that I made one of each for each member of our family (it's really only 11 since I only made one for each couple).

Last we open presents. We started a tradition a few years ago that all of the adult participate in a gift exchange where we each purchase a present for 25 dollars, rap it and bring it to Christmas eve dinner. Then after "the kids", which now only consist of my 2 cousins, open their presents (here's my family waiting for the adult portion of the evening to begin...Callie looks especially bored because it's her first year being an adult and not getting presents from everyone) then we go into the living room and everyone draws a number...then we go in order from 1 to ? you can either pick a gift from the middle or steal from someone else. It's always a good time and we've gotten pretty good at picking things that anyone would like!

Picking our Christmas Tree!

Since this was my first year home for Christmas in several years I got to pick where we went to get our tree. Growing up we always went to a Christmas tree farm and cut down our tree...unfortunately my family over the past few years have fallen into the habit of going to a big box store and buying a pre-cut tree. I say "BOOO" to that so I insisted upon going to the only Christmas tree farm within a 50 miles radius and cut our tree down. While looking for our tree I came up with the brilliant idea of finding trees that "looked like" each of us and taking pictures with them. Above is Dad with his "twin" tree.


Here's Callie with her tall and skinny "twin" tree.

Here I am with my "shorter" "rounder" tree...notice my hat comes to a nice point...we really are "twins". Good times at the Christmas tree farms...may they never going out of style. (Note: Mom's "twin" shot didn't turn out unfortunately)

Sing Noel!

So every other year our stake puts on a special musical program entitled "Sing Noel". It's pretty intense: first, the stake music people begin in late summer to call and send out letters to invite people to participate in the choir (my sister Callie-to my left and I were invited via our Dad who is known in the stake for his musical talent), next practises start the first week in September and continue every Sunday evening for 2 hours until the performances which usually happen the first week in December. Although at I was a bit apprehensive about giving up every Sunday evening for 3 months I decided to make the commitment knowing it may be the only time for awhile that I'll be around to participate. It was a wonderful experience! I made new friends, developed musical talent and knowledge, and was able to increase my feelings of the Christmas spirit.

Christmas Questions

So an old roommate of mine had this posted on her blog so I decided to do it for mine too...so here it goes
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper...it's totally more festive than gift bags in my opinion...also it's much funner to unwrap something rapped in rapping paper.
2. Tree - Real or Artificial? I can't believe this is even a question...I am 100% for real trees! Also 100% for cutting down your own tree...I got to be part of this process for the first time in 4 years this year and it was fabulous!
3. When do you put the Christmas tree up?As soon as possible...usually about a week after thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? well after new years.
5. Do you like eggnog? I love Egg nog!!! I would say it's in my top 10 fav. Beverages...even my top 5....my problem as noted in a previous post is the whole "lacto" issue...so this year for my egg nog milk shake (we always have them when we decorate our tree) I had lactose free egg nog which was really great...I have yet to try soy nog.
6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes my Mom actually bought me my own last year...it's set up on the piano with the rest of hers (she has about 15...not all on the piano)
7. Hardest person to buy for?My Mom
8. Easiest person to buy for? my sister Brianna
9. Worst Christmas gift? I can think of a few...but I think it's better to just not talk about it. chuckle.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? MAIL! I love seeing how everyones families are doing at Christmas time. I however apparently am not doing Christmas cards this year...unless I happen to get them out tomorrow which is highly unlikely since it's now 10:45 and I have to work in the morning and then ...a Christmas bash to attend...oh well.
11. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas...but I really love Elf too!
12. Favorite Christmas song? It depends on the category I really love the hymn "I heard the bells on Christmas day" that's my fav. Hymn. I also love "oh holy night". The list goes on and on really. I just really LOVE Christmas music...example: today we had the school choir come into our classroom and they sang Christmas carols and for some reason I got all teary eyed...and I was like "what's going on?"
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Early usually but this year since I'm on a teachers pay period...there really wasn't much shopping happening.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I once gave a present a friend gave me to my brother...
15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Ham and my mom's special strawberry jello.
16. Clear or colored tree lights? Colored...especially the big old fashioned ones...that's the kind we always had on our tree when I was a kid
17. Travel during Christmas or stay home? Well when ever I'm away at school I always came home but now since I'm home I'll stay at home...but I would say one should be at home for Christmas as often as possible.
18. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
19. Angel or Star on tree top? We've always had an angle, growing up it was always an angle my Aunt Debbie made...but for the past few years it's been a Fancy pants angel my mom had....Anyway I'm going to say angel...but I must say the Cohens star, made by Mom Cohen herself is very nice and looks very festive (I hope Mary didn't change it.)
20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Christmas presents from my Moms family on Christmas eve always...and now because my brother and sister-in-law spend Christmas with her family we open presents with them Christmas eve too. Christmas Day we open presents from our family (all of us at home) and then my Dads family latter that day.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Mean guys at the store who don't want to give you change for a 20 when you're buying a $.50 item...so snooty...bah humbug.
22. Best Christmas present? I always get GREAT gifts but I really loved my digital camera.
23. Favorite Christmas tradition? Cutting our tree down and eating egg nog milkshakes! I also love caroling to friends.

OK guys feel free to now fill this out for yourselves!

Merry Christmas

So I just realized I haven't posted in over a month....I got a job at the beginning of December and between getting into the routine and Christmas festivities I just haven't taken the time but I wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas. This Christmas we've (my family) simplified things alot and it's really been great...very peaceful not worrying about buying a bunch of presents (not that presents have been cut out completely just cut back on). Also this Christmas I've learned that Christmas miracles do happen and that with Christ in our lives we can see miracles all year long!