The Doghouse

I got this movie clip in an email from my dad. Hilarious!

Click here: The Doghouse

You really must watch it. And laugh. Then watch it again and listen to what the intercom voice is saying while the men are folding clothes.

Nativity

My favorite thing to help put up when my mom was decorating for Christmas was always her porcelain nativity set. Kneeling on the piano bench, I would carefully arrange and rearrange all the peices until they were just right. Then, as I got older, I loved to see how the Christmas lights reflected in the porcelain while I played Christmas songs on the piano.

I have put my name on the list to inherit my mom's nativity set. But until then, I have this beautiful 3-piece set that my mom and sister made for me this year. It is beautiful.

Boughs of Holly

It helps to click on the picture so you can see it bigger. It's been so fun to decorate my very own house for Christmas!

Tannenbaum

The Hunt:

(It kind of looks like this tree is peeking around the others, waiting to ambush us, doesn't it?)

Bringing home the prize:
Trimming:

(This step included two trips to the store--because two strings of lights were definitely not going to be enough.)

The product of our labors:

(Drops lots of needles, but also smells great, looks pretty, drinks water, sits in our living room and makes us smile. Makes a pretty good addition, all things considered.)

And one last, albeit unrelated, item:

New hair! I've never had it this dark before, but I love it!

Highlights of our Thanksgiving Break:

Logan with the Wood family:

• Bowling with my brothers and sister. I've been promising the boys I would take them since Kent and I got married. But every time we try to go, something gets in the way. My overactive guilt producer wouldn't let me delay it any longer. And we had a blast! I lost by a lot. But my team ("the Squirrels"-Me, Jonah, and Josh) won!

• The impromptu Wood Family Musical during Home Evening. My dad reading Luke 2 = perfect time to hum "Silent Night."
• Dad making barbecued turkey since I wouldn't be there to have some of my grandpa's.
• Playing "Whoonu"
• Helping with Nathan's kindergarten feast and eating school lunch with Jonah.
• Most of all, convincing Dad to let us set up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving so we could decorate it, drink egg nog, get new matching pajamas from Mom, read Mr. Wilaby's Christmas Tree and sleep in the living room together.

Oregon with the Andersens:

• Noticing how many things reminded us of Twilight. (The movie was filmed in St. Helens)
• Burgerville pumpkin shakes. Mmm.
• Gift basket waiting in hotel room for us from Shannon.
• Anna showing me her pink room at least six times.
• Just enjoying our time in Shannon and Scott's beautiful home. I was glad to have time to finally get to know their family a little better. It was wonderful, and so fun!
• Gingersnap cookies and wassail.
• Incredible Thanksgiving dinner.
• Watching Payton direct the orchestra on the Wii.
• Seeing Teresa and Dan. It's always so nice to get together with family.
• Conner's sweet baptism. I played the piano, and during the prelude music Conner stood by me and sang along to his favorite Primary songs. It was very, very sweet.
• Anna and the Christmas lights.
  
  (Sorry, this picture is blurry-there was so much water in the air that I couldn't turn the flash on)

We had so much fun with both our families! I was sad to leave, both when we drove from Utah to Oregon and then again when we drove from Oregon back to Rexburg. But, only two more weeks until the semester is over! Wahoo!

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too!

Gratitude

"Those who live in thanksgiving daily have a way of opening their eyes and seeing the wonders and beauties of this world as though seeing them for the first time.


"I encourage you to look around you. Notice the people you care about. Notice the fragrance of the flowers and the song of the birds. Notice and give thanks for the blue of the sky, the color of the leaves, and the white of the clouds. Enjoy every sight, every smell, every taste, every sound.


"As we strive to open our eyes, hearts, and arms, our step will become a little lighter, our smile will become a little brighter, and the darkness that sometimes broods over our lives will become a little lighter.


"Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t been an especially grateful person. Rejoice and think of what an impression you will make on those who thought they knew you. Think of how delightfully surprised they will be.


"Be grateful. Every day is a new canvas—a new opportunity."

-Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Live in Thanksgiving Daily,” Ensign, Sept. 2001, 6

Me, tonight.

It is Saturday night (I know when you're reading this it will be Sunday night, so don't get confused.) It's Saturday night, and this is me:

• Finished: with writing my magazine articles for English 450. Now I just hope they get accepted by the editors!


• Listening: to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. For the third time in a row. I needed a little Hawaii in my system.


• Full: from pigging out with Kent at Craigos. You should have seen that boy's reaction to the Oreo dessert pizza. I was afraid I'd have to carry him out of there on a stretcher.


• Stressed: there's only 35 days until the end of the semester and I have at least 45 days worth of stuff to do by then.
• Wearing: the shirt that Kent likes best. We made "top three" lists today of shirts that we like most on each other.


• Thinking: about Christmas. It's coming! I know this because there's a huge tree at the grocery store.


• Hoping: that people come to choir practice tomorrow night.


• In love: with my sweet husband who I keep trying to talk to but forgetting that he's got his headphones on in the other room.
• Content: I've got a good life, people to love, a warm house, healthy body, money for food, and church to go to in the morning.

It's a good night here tonight.

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