Christmas Time

Well, Christmas has definitely come and gone... I hate putting all my stuff away... maybe that is why I plan to keep it out until... well... probably next weekend... after New Years! :)

I got some great gifts-- including Christmas dishes for next year! Wahoo! They are SUPER fun!! I got some clothes, some slippers, and Damon and I bought a TV for our bedroom for our gifts. (Though he definitely got the better end of the deal-- you see, since I am a planner, I had already bought him a wallet and shoes...) I am sure that I got my fair share of stuff throughout the year though! :)

Damon got a sweet video camera! My parents thought that he should go ahead and have once since we are talking about kiddos... a definite must to capture all the most crucial moments!

As the years comes to a close, I have been reflecting on what all has happened, from losing my job (a definite blessing in disguise), through tears for friends who lost their baby, joy for friends who had babies, buying a house, getting a new WONDERFUL job, and much more... I can't help but thank Jesus for yet another year... He is definitely the reason for the season and so often we forget that... Shame on us. Damon and I even talked about how we like to help others out at this time of the year, whether through buying friends a tree or putting an extra $20 in the offering bucket... but we failed miserably... gosh, how come we get so wrapped up in ME, that we forget everyone and everything else... I hate that!

All that to say, as the new year approaches, my prayer is that I will remember the true reason for the season all year long and remember to focus on others, not me!

November... what?

I mean really... I have no idea what happened to November and the first two weeks of December... they were here and now they are gone!

We celebrated Thanksgiving up in Minnesota-- which is always fun, though the driving is always a little much. We keep trying to get them to come here for a holiday, but it never happens! We got to stay with my cousins, who just had a little baby boy Tyson, which was so fun! The other part of the time, we stayed with my Uncle Brent and Aunt Michelle and their kiddos-- which was also a blast! To make things even more fun, Damon's little sister Ellie came down to Arkansas a couple days before Thanksgiving and made the treck to Minnesota with us! :) We came back to Arkansas and got to spend a couple more days with Ellie, setting up the Christmas Tree, etc! :) So fun... I LOVE this time of the year and wish that it moved so much slower.

I also celebrated my 25th Birthday! I still can't believe that I have hit 25 and I realized and said to my mom that I was closer to 30... my mom preceeded to tell me that I wasn't that close yet, but that she had thought about it and can't believe that she has two kids that are closer to 30! CRAZY!! My great husband bought me a Nintendo DSI for my birthday which has been so much fun!! :) The games are great! :)

I have been busy making more invitations and Christmas cards... which I LOVE!! I will have to post some more soon!

Oh, and Damon got his yearly review-- which went GREAT!! I am so proud of him! His boss told him that he was the only one out of 15 reviews that was getting a raise and he got an even bigger bonus that he anticipated!! YEAH! The owners told him that in 30 years of business, he had never given a review like this... and in a good way!! They just complimented him over and over again!! We also had his company Christmas party-- which was great!! It was at 1620! We had Butternut Squash Bisque Soup or Duck Salad for the appetizer (I got soup, Damon got salad) and then Filet Mignon for the main dish and Souflee for the dessert! AWESOME!! :) The company at our table was pretty good as well!! It was fun to finally meet everyone Damon works with-- you see, even though he has worked for them for a year and a half, I haven't really met people because the Christmas party last year was cancelled due to ice...so it is great to finally put some faces with these names I have heard forever now! :)

Well, it is about time to leave work (speaking of which, I still LOVE my job!!) and we have to get some Christmas shopping done... FINALLY!! Until later!

Lindsey