Merry Christmas!

We're finally to Christmas! We had a nice and quiet Christmas Eve with a yummy cheese board and more Christmas movies.

In the morning, we opened presents and ate delicious homemade breakfast tacos.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!

Another Early Christmas Present

 I almost never know what I want for gifts. It makes things difficult for Jonathan, but a few days before Christmas I realized that I really wanted a bike. I did some research and found the one I wanted and we picked it up a couple of days before Christmas.

We rode to the library and found that they had a library bike!

Riding a bike makes me feel free like I did when I was a kid. I may not go as fast as I did back then, but I still enjoy it!

Kind Of A Big Deal

Jonathan and I hardly ever go to the movies. Neither one of us pays much attention to what's coming out, so we just don't think about it. Jonathan saw that a new WWII movie was coming out and he wanted to see it. Lucky for Jonathan, that is one of my favorite genres of movies and so we went and saw Midway. I was more excited about it because I don't know much about the Pacific theater of the war and wanted to know more.

I really enjoyed the movie and Jonathan was happy with the accuracy of it. The only problem he really had with it was when the plane wings would touch the water. If that happened in real life, the planes would crash into the water. Besides that, it was a very realistic war movie and I plan on watching it again.

Little Bethlehem

We found another new Christmas tradition in 2019. The First Baptist Church of Burnet has an interactive nativity of downtown Bethlehem. We drove out there early and stumbled on a Christmas activity in the town square.

I don't know where it came from, but they had snow that kids were playing in.

They were also raffling off bikes for kids of various sizes.

The line was reminiscent of the various lines at Disneyland, but it moved rather quickly. Once we were inside, it really felt like we were transported to a different time. There were Romans, tax collectors, people baking bread, others were weaving baskets. It was very impressive.

In the distance was the new star that marked the birth of Jesus Christ.

We followed it and eventually found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.

It was a really cool experience and I hope that it comes back for this Christmas.

After Church Presents

I didn't realize so much happened in December 2019! I'm glad that I'm taking the time to go through it and remember now. In the lead up to Christmas, we attended church for our Christmas service.

After we got home, we opened a couple of Christmas presents early. I don't feel any guilt about it because they were both food. First up was a pound of one of our favorite See's Candies.

The other was an entire jar of my absolute favorite hot salsa from a family owned restaurant back in California. I'm still working on finding a Texas alternative, but until that happens luckily I have family willing to send it to me.

I don't know who was more excited about these gifts, but they were delicious!

 

Last Visit for the Year

We started the month of December with our last trip to the San Antonio Temple for the year. Before we went inside, we took a family picture for our Christmas card. I love the beautiful stained glass windows there and wanted to have them in our picture. The way the light comes through the tree reminds me of the tree of life that Lehi saw in vision.

After we finished an endowment session, we sat in the celestial room together. This is one of my favorite parts of spending time in the temple. I take time to ponder about my life and pray for direction from the Lord. It is such a peaceful place.

This was the first time that it felt absolutely right to have a baby. All those years ago, it felt like we should do what we wanted to which is not the same thing at all! I was hoping that the answer would change this time and I am beyond grateful that it did.

Christmas Ornaments

In the build up for Christmas 2019, I felt strongly that we needed to add more traditions that focus on Jesus. I had extra clay from a project I did years ago and finally knew what to use it for! We rolled it out to make Christmas ornaments and stamp some of the names of Jesus that are found in the scriptures.

After they finished baking, I used a black sharpie so the names would stand out.

I plan on adding more each time we find more of His names as we study the scriptures.

Christmas Time is Here With Lasers

Back when we still lived in Utah, my mom sent me the letters for the Christmas song that is in the Charlie Brown movie. I did my best with sticking it to the wall, but it wasn't perfectly level.

Well in 2019, we broke out the laser level that we got from my grandpa and it made the process so much easier!

Of course, I don't have a picture of the whole saying, but this is the best one I have!

Family Traditions

I am grateful for family traditions. I am grateful for the ones I grew up with. From birthday breakfast doughnuts to Christmas with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to waking up way too early to say family prayers before Amy and Chris left for their 6:30 am Seminary class. (Okay, that last one was not my favorite one. I've never been much of a morning person, but looking back I'm grateful that my dad would get me up every morning even though I didn't feel that way in the moment. Sorry Dad!) Big and small, our family traditions are some of my strongest memories. Because of them, I looked forward to creating them with my own family. 

We are slowly refining our family traditions, especially our holiday traditions, into something that works for our family. We originally had very different plans for our Thanksgiving dinner and they weren't going to be particularly traditional except for the fact that we were going to be together as a family and we were probably going to have a pie for dessert. Since I was sick and my tastebuds weren't as sharp as they usually are, we switched it to the Thanksgiving feast Snoopy makes. It was perfect! I'm grateful that our holiday wasn't ruined because it wasn't the traditional meal. It will probably be one of our most memorable ones because it worked perfectly for us that day. Jonathan made the meal in minutes and we were able to spend the day relaxing together.

Traditions are very important, but when they can't be adapted to circumstances than they rule over us and don't foster unity. That's the balance we are aiming for. I look forward to finding out what works for us.

Geo George

I'm grateful that Jonathan and I were able to host Geo George for Lyla's class project. It was somewhat awkward taking pictures with a paper turtle, but it was fun! I think he had a great time with us too!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm grateful to be with my family for Thanksgiving! I realized last night that the perfect Thanksgiving menu would be the same one Snoopy comes up with in Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.

It was perfect! I hope y'all had a lovely Thanksgiving too!

Another Catch Up

Well, I spoke too soon because I'm sick again. So once again, I am grateful for Gatorade and that we have the Harry Potter audiobooks. (I'm already in the middle of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.)

I am grateful for the hammocks at our new apartment. After a long day of moving and unpacking, Jonathan and I would make our way down to relax on a hammock. It is amazing how comfortable they are. We had many wonderful conversations as we enjoyed the cool evening breeze. While I am grateful for the cool fall weather, I look forward to enjoying warm summer nights again.

I am grateful for new beginnings. In the middle of our move, Jonathan got a call from an old coworker that asked if he would be interested in a job with Apple. The job he described was Jonathan's dream job. Naturally, Jonathan jumped at the opportunity. He is happily learning and coding his days away.

I am grateful for our wedding presents. We've been married for almost a decade now and there are many presents that I frequently use and I remember who gave them to us. It is so moving that so many helped us get started. Between colds, Jonathan and I finally put cookies into the cookie jar that his sister, Hannah, gave to us. We were so excited that we took a picture and sent it to her. We previously used the cookie jar as a kitchen utensil holder, but now we can use it as a cookie jar!

I am grateful for temples. They are so much more than just pretty buildings and nicely furnished rooms. In the temple, I feel closer to God and Jesus Christ. I get a glimpse of the woman that they know me to be. I can take my struggles and pains with me and while they don't disappear, I see the situation more clearly and I am strengthened to continue forward. The temple is truly God's house and I am so grateful that He lets His children visit His spirit there.

I am grateful for our new neighbors. Instead of hearing the thumping bass line from the clubs, we are now hearing mooing. It's a big change, but we are getting used to it.

A Big Catch Up

To start out, I am grateful I am once again healthy. I had a weird cold that was stuck in my throat. 

While I was sick, I was very grateful for Gatorade and that it didn't hurt my throat when I drank it.

I am grateful that I was sick because I regularly take for granted having a healthy body that does basically what I ask it to do. It truly is a blessing to be free from illness and I need to be a bit more aware of that.

To wrap up what I was grateful for while sick, I am very grateful to have Jonathan as my caretaker. He was sweet and made sure that I had what I needed. I feel rather spoiled when I'm sick.

I am grateful for this silly raptor sign in the computer lab I use at school. It makes me smile each time I see it. Thankfully, I'm never there when the raptors are.

I am grateful for tender mercies. Most people would call them coincidences, but they are real and provided for us by a loving Savior. Anyway, last month I took a woman from church to a doctor's appointment because she doesn't have a car. While I was in the waiting room, I looked out the window and saw a message that I needed. The graffiti says "Just Wait". I feel like that was there for me. I want things to move ahead in the way that I want it to, but whenever I pray it doesn't feel right. That message of just wait was exactly what I needed that day. I am not forgotten while I wait and it's okay that I am currently waiting. It won't last forever.

I am grateful for stormy weather. Texas provides a wide variety of weather and by far my favorite are the storms. Sometimes there's thunder and lightening and other times it's solely rain. It doesn't really matter to me!

As I was driving yesterday, I felt grateful for the magic of fall. I was driving through colorful leaves and watching how they seem to dance as the wind blows them around felt magical. I didn't get pictures since I was driving, but that might be my favorite part of fall. The beauty struck me very deeply and I can't really describe it beyond magical.

I am grateful for my marriage. It has helped me to grow in ways that I wouldn't have otherwise. I am grateful to be married to my equal. While we have different strengths and weaknesses, they balance out and we are equal. Our marriage is a wonderful refuge from the world where we can truly be our nerdy selves and enjoy each other. I am grateful that our paths crossed and that Jonathan waited patiently for me. Our marriage is a blessing as we've face tremendous trials and challenges together. The struggles that could have (and maybe should have) torn us apart have only brought us closer together. I can't wait to see where our life takes us.

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Tuesday Nights

I am grateful for our Tuesday nights. For the past few months, we gather with a group of friends from church and learn about Personal Finances. When we started, we didn't know anyone else in our group and over time we've become friends.

You can check out the manual by clicking here.

This course is designed to guide you to understand not only about Personal Finances, but to come closer to God as well. When I think about most things involving money, I don't usually think about praying over it even though the scriptures tell us to pray for everything. It has helped us gain a better understanding of where we are and what we need to do to have the future we want. I'm grateful that we've taken advantage of this opportunity and for the friends that we've made because of it.

Veterans Day

I am grateful for the men and women who serve to defend our freedoms. It's weird because today is going to look like a normal Monday morning with work and school. In spite of that, we can carry an extra prayer in our hearts for our defenders near and far.

Family

I am grateful that family love knows no distance. While this is currently the farthest I lived from my family, I have never felt closer to them. This summer was a pretty crazy one for us. We were on an emotional rollercoaster. When we were at our lowest point, there was nothing we could do on our own that could bring us out of it. We tried so hard and a dark cloud just hung over us. My family had already been apprised of what was going on and were praying for us. They kicked it up a notch and held a fast for us. That morning was the first time in three weeks that I woke up and was not weighed down by what was going on. Amy Rosella shared this quote in our group text after shared how much better we were both doing.

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Sure, fasting and praying hasn't changed what's going on, but it did bring peace that we are on the right track. It is such a blessing that I can still rely on my family even though we are no where near each other.

Morning Routine

I am grateful for my simple morning routine. I start my day out spending time in the scriptures.

I spend about 10 minutes in the Book of Mormon, then I journal, and I finish up with the Come, Follow Me curriculum for individuals and families. Sometimes I really dive in and take my time, but other mornings I don't have as much time so I quickly go through each. I feel like it is helping me as I prioritize my mornings.

Catch Up!

I'm grateful that I can catch up on the days that I've already missed.

I'm grateful for productive Saturdays. This past Saturday, Jonathan was on a roll with getting things done around our new apartment. He assembled shelves and then used them to organize his tools in our little storage closet on our patio. This is the first time we've ever had anything like this and it has been a blessing. We no longer have a trunk filled with tools and now we can easily find whatever tool we need.

I am grateful for the Lord's tender mercies that brought us to Texas. I've been thinking a lot about how we made it to Texas as we moved out of our first place. There were so many blessings and one of the biggest ones was finding our apartment. It was hard to leave, but it was time to move forward. I am grateful for all of the memories we will have of our time there.

I'm grateful for gorgeous Texas sunsets. I love how they linger for what seems like hours and how they change as the sun gets lower and lower.