Holidays Summed Up

Well well well, here we are in 2009 and christmas break is officially over, it truly is amazing how fast time goes by, especially when you dont want it too. Anyway so we left pittsburgh tuesday december 17th. Flew to chicago and had a 3 hour lay over but then there was snow and ice so we had a 6 hour delay!! We did however finally leave chicago just to arrive late (around midnight) to Denver and missed our connecting flight. Chicago airport was crazy, everyone was missing their connections. Denver was pretty empty tho, and so we got to spend the night in the Denver airport to catch a morning flight to salt lake. We didnt check any bags, which we were really glad of when we missed our connections, we only had carry ons, which are much easier to keep track of. We got to see Jordans Parents additions to their house. They added on to the whole back of the house and redid the carpet, tiled the kitchen and dining area and redid the bathroom. They previously had redone the living room but it was still my first time seeing it. It all looked AMAZING. And made such a big difference. It felt wonderful and relaxing and best of all it could hold lots of people. And everyone had somewhere to sleep. We played games that thursday night, which was really fun. That weekend we got to hang out with Eldon (loni's older brother ) and bought my dad his christmas present which was a 20 gauge Shotgun! we were sooo excited and HE LOVED IT! Its soo fun to give people presents. We also helped build a sled and took a ride in that thing, they pulled it behind a jeep up to 45 miles an hour. Played games of which I have decided that I really like darts, and we played a kinda vocabulary games which was really fun but it reminded me of my lack of vocabulary. Does anyone think slippery and rough correlate?

Oh and we went to the Rexburg temple. That was my first time seeing it, its really pretty. The week of christmas we shot guns, went shopping and had a christmas eve party at their house. (I already mentioned that below) Oh for christmas we opened stalkings first and then had breakfast and then opened presents together. I was glad that Jordans family opens presents the same, letting each person go one at a time and comment on the gift. In addition to the car and crib we got some really neat books that are a compilation of quotes by general authorities that corresponds to chapter by chapter of the book of mormon. We really like those. My mom got me a really nice knife set and block. It has so many knives in it i dont even know what you do with them all. I got 4 shirts, we got a really nice wheat grinder from his parents and some wheat. We got movies, one of which is Jordans all time favorite lately, Meet the Robinsons! And kung fu panda and spider man three. I was really excited for spiderman I loved that movie. Those were from his brother Nathan and sister in law Lisa. They also gave us some really nice steak knives. We got a really nice pic and pic frame of the first presidency, socks for both of us, I got a watch (christmas tradition :) and some other stuff I cant remember right now.

Saturday morning after christmas my mother in law had a baby shower for me, it was combined with Emily who just had her baby at the beginning of december, she had a little girl and named it Sakara. I was really really grateful for the baby shower, one becuase I dont really know anyone in Lake shore and yet they all brought me a gift...they do know Jordan but still, it was really nice of her ward. So we got some diapers, and blankets and clothes, and fingernail clippers that have a magnifying glass connected to them (pretty cool), socks and other random baby stuff. Now our baby will have a bed to sleep in and wont be coming home naked! Hurray :)

After the baby shower Jordan, Laura and I drove down to Cedar City and met up with Katie and Victor and Maelyn. I was soooo excited that we were able to make that happen, Katie and I had been planning on meeting in las vegas but since they went to st george for christmas we could meet even closer. Unfortunately we didnt get to spend very long at all together but we went out to dinner at applebees and played apples to apples real quick. Maelyn is adorable! I think you should have another one Katie, lets see how your boys come out :) We spent the night at Laura's college apartment in Cedar and watched two weeks notice which I had never seen, and I really liked it, It was one of the better chick flicks I have seen.

We had Carr family pictures on monday, which I think will turn out really good. Not much happened with the Carrs until new years after that, they all went back to work. So Jordan and I hung out. On tuesday we Mandi and Ryan and her boys actually came down to Jordans Parents house in the morning and we played all day. It was a lot of fun and We were soo glad they were able to come down, and that they drove all the way from SLC. We went out side and built snow forts and played war a couple of times. My poor "castle" was dipped the "welfare" castle cuz they all abondoned me to build it all by myself and then ponned the 3 year old off on me. so After a while they had pity and came to help the prego woman and 3 year old build her kingdom. I ended up being taken captive and made a slave half way through the war game and was sent on snow ball making duty. After that we had hot chocolate and played a card game Ruckus, which is really fun. Oh and we also played laser tag with their new christmas laser guns.

While we were there we also learned this new game called acquire that Nathan owned, it is really really fun, I definately want to get that one. It is like an investing money making board game. I won the first time we played...that always wins ya over to liking a game, but I didnt win again the next 3 times we played. We also played like 8 player monopoly with everyone including Collin before christmas and I won at that too. I have never won monopoly before, it was a fun game. We were excited that we got to see collin.

Then on new years eve we had My sister in law Lisas family come down and Maura and Ben came over, I hadnt seen them since their wedding and Jordan since before they were married. We played four way speed with em, and an intense game of spoons that Ben actually won, and balderdash which was hillarious. The we were so busy gaming we barely noticed the start of the NEW YEAR, and we couldnt get the sparkling cider bottles open like a bunch of goobers! But it was way fun, I really enjoyed playing games and just hangin out and eating lots of food.

For new years day we went up to Maura and Bens house and went SNOW SHOEING. I had never been in snow shoes before so Maura gave me a first. We went somewhere in provo canyon and it was a beautiful view from where we hiked up. It was awesome to talk and hang out with them. I tell you what there is nothing better than hanging out with sound minded people who thing the same way you do and know how to have fun. Afterwards we went back to their apartment in provo and hung out and talked and then played scrabble where maura and Jo tied.

And the next day we left and made it home without incident, which was exciting. We cleaned up the house and played with Jo's car, I taught the lesson in young womens and did a spot light of one of my beehives, we decorate a bullitin board once a month of a YW, and now school starts. I work all day monday from 11-10:30, and have classes literally all day tuesday and thursday. no classes on wednesday or friday or saturday. And work again friday from 1-7. We have WAY too many classes this semester but we can atleast graduate if we pass them all in April so we will see if the pain is worth it. We have two advanced neuro classes, a neuro research/writing class, biochemsitry and north american archeology together. Separate I have a black and white photography class, and Jordan has a physics lab and economics writing class. Jordan is also still working with the jazz band mondays wednesdays and saturdays. And thats us!