Joy to the World

Merry (late) Christmas!! My mom was sort of sad that I didn't post yesterday and told me I should, even though I'm living at home and she knows what I'm doing...oh well.  Maybe someone else besides her reads this too xD

So, obviously, my parents did make it back safely (3:00 am Monday morning but safe enough...) Thanks to them, I have now officially been on vacation.  Staying up late (mostly Skyping to friends in California.  The 3 hour time difference is kinda lame) followed by sleeping in way later than necessary (10:00 at the earliest, 1:00 at the latest).  This last week has actually been a huge blur.  It really seems like the only thing I did was sleep, clean and pack my room, mess around on my computer and hang out with the family.  But that's not a bad way to spend vacation :)

I guess I did do a few "exciting" things this week...I went to the annual Christmas party for my group of friends and I went to early morning seminary (it was just like nothing had changed :)

Decorating cookies at the Christmas party

Me and Kelly being Kelly ;)

Typical Seminary: Food (today it happened to be ice cream) and no one paying attention!

On Christmas Adam (aka Christmas Eve Eve)/Festivus (depending on what you celebrate), I had a baking and hanging out day with my sister and mom.  We made chocolate cake, an assortment of muffins, sugar cookies and Hannah and I decorated gingerbread houses.  It was a really fun day.  I loved spending time with my sister.  She's super crazy but what else can you expect from a seven year old?

The DELICIOUS muffins we made :-d

The front door of my gingerbread house.

Bridger and his Festivus pole

Me with my cookies :)

Christmas Eve we did our traditional reading of Christ's birth from Luke 2 followed by opening pajamas from our parents, then running to various bathrooms and bedrooms to change.  Next we congregate back in the family room to open one more present.  After the second round of presents, we kids sit down and watch A Christmas Story on TV.  The four of us all sleep together in our basement family room on Christmas Eve night.  As we sleep my dad sets up "traps" for us (usually pots and pans connected to a string connected to the door handle so that they make noise when we try to come upstairs).  This year, we almost made it all the way upstairs without a peep because we disarmed the traps! Then Hunter kicked a pot and it fell down the stairs waking up our parents.  After the traditional jumping on the bed to wake my parents up, we line up at their bedroom door from youngest to oldest and march out to the family room to see what Santa brought us and to open the rest of our presents.  

My Christmas was fantastic this year.  I think my favorite three presents were a new digital camera, a waffle iron (now the Breakfast Club can have waffles! Yes, that really was my first thought as I opened it ), and I also got a new pair of boots that are super cozy and warm :)  I loved spending the day with my family just relaxing and hanging out.

Church was wonderful.  I love my home ward in Marquette, we are really one big family and it is awesome :)  I got to play piano in nursery this week and the kids were extra sweet.  I then spent the rest of the day reading (it was WONDERFUL! I can't remember the last time I did that).  I helped de-decorate my house and we had a family cancel (not council, but a cancel, long story...) After our family cancel, I Skyped my friend from California which was also wonderful.

I woke up this morning and went to breakfast with the girls from my ward who are back from college and their moms.  It was really fun.  We were loud and obnoxious but if you know the group of us you wouldn't expect any less.  After breakfast I came home and read again, followed by shopping with my mom and sister.  Then our family, including Maggie my puppy, went to get pictures taken.  It went by quick and wasn't too painful ;) After we dropped the dog off at home, we went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Casa Calabria.  Now, I am in a food coma and don't want to do anything but my room is in need of serious work...

The former Young Women of the Marquette Ward :)