CHRISTMAS 2011 = l.o.v.e - and - NEW YEARS

The holidays have come and gone.  And all I can say is that this time of year has been beyond amazing and wonderful!  I can't believe how blessed Scott and I are to have such wonderful families and friends.  Our hearts are overjoyed and full of love.

Prior to Christmas day--Scott and I have been reading the 12 days of Christmas to help us get into the Christmas spirit.  It is great to be able to focus on Christ and the miracle of his birth and life.  I have loved having the Christmas spirit in our home this season--We have done a couple other things leading up to Christmas and trying to make our own family traditions.  It has been fun and exciting and I have enjoyed every minute doing these things as husband and wife.

Scott and I decided to have our own Christmas together on Friday night, the 23rd.  Scott had to work Christmas eve and the day after Christmas so it worked out the best to have our Christmas early.  He got home from work, and we made dinner and treats to start our Christmas.  We had a lot of fun opening presents together.  Scott got a new xbox game, the Dexter seasons, and a ski pass from me, along with a few other smaller things put into his stocking.  Scott spoiled me by getting me beautiful pearl earrings from Needhams, Dolce and Gabana Light Blue perfume, and a couple new earrings along with lots of lotions and nail stuff in my stocking.  We also bought the game "Ticket to Ride" for our family.  We love playing that game together.  We then watched "Home Alone" and did a few smaller activities for a few laughs to finish our night.  I could not have asked for a better Christmas night for our first Christmas as a married couple. 

We drove up to Logan Christmas eve after Scott got off work and we were able to spend time with all of our families in a little over a day.  We spent time opening gifts, eating yummy food, being spoiled, playing games, and talking and catching up with loved ones--including Scott's brother Connor who is on a mission.  We had such a great time with family.  It reaffirms to me how blessed we are to have such a wonderful support system that is so close.

That was the gist of our festivities in a nutshell.  We left Christmas night to head home to SLC.  There is so many more things I could write about, like all the fun memories that were made, and how wonderful it was to spend time with each of our families.  Each one of our families is amazing in their own special ways and we are so glad we were able to spend time with them.  We truly feel blessed to have so many family members who care about us and love us.  It was so fun, I'm sad it was over so fast.

Before...

After...

After cont... (We were so spoiled)

We were able to spend New Years with our friends this year.  Our friends Brett and Chelsea were home for the holidays so we went out there and played games with them, and a bunch of our other best friends.  It was so fun to get the gang together again.  We played a bunch of games and reminisced on the good ol' days.  We miss them and it was so great to see everyone...

Me and my BFs

I was also able to spend some time with my family over the weekend, which is always a great time.  My mom is the best cook and makes the best treats for us.  It is fun to have the entire family together once in a while since it doesn't happen very often so it was fun to play games and hang out with them.  My family is so great, and I love them.

I wish we could have taken more pictures--but we forgot the camera when we were up in Logan :(  So all we have are before and afters.  Shoot.  Aside from the Fourth of July, the Christmas season is another favorite holiday of mine because of the spirit that floods my insides.  Christmas is a holiday centered on Christ--I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have of Christ and the miracle of His birth and life.  It is because of Him that I am able to live forever in happiness and have a forever family with Scott and our family.  He is my Savior, my Brother, my Friend, my Comforter, and I love Him.  The knowledge that I have brings me so much happiness in this life and so much comfort in hard times.  Christmas = love.  I hope I can keep this feeling in my heart throughout the year, and not just during the Christmas season.