Our First Holiday Season

It's been over a month. I'm an awful blogger. Now where to start.

Beginning of November:
We had an awesome visit with my parents. They loved Tucano's and we enjoyed getting to spend non-stressful time with them. They even brought up a matching coffee and end table to add to our home decor (thank you Sally Edmunds for the donation).

Middle-end of November: We managed to make it Idaho for Thanksgiving and then spent the rest of the weekend in Park City with Braden's family. We played games, at good food, and watched plenty of Glee (Did we mention we bought the first season of Glee for $20 on Black Friday? Ya, it's normally 47.) I think it takes Braden back to his show choir glory days. We loved spending time with Braden's family, and were sad that we couldn't just hang out with them the entire week. Good thing we lived close enough that driving there and back wasn't too much of problem. Thanks Mom and Dad for the super fun week!

Beginning of December:

Braden has officially started teaching at Snowbird and is loving it. I am anxiously awaiting tax season. Bring on the tax returns! It's going to be awesome! We are so blessed to both have jobs that we love.

Braden got me my Christmas present early and it had to be good since his was a $600 camera. So I got a Droid since I was due for a new cell phone aways. Lucky Braden got to mooch off my Christmas gift because they had a buy one get one free promotion. That kid gets everything he wants. So now we have matching Droids and we've spent the past two days oooing and ahhing over all the amazing stuff we can do with them. We also finally decorated our fabulous Christmas tree! and decorated our gingerbread house that we bought last year. The icing just needed a little nuking in the microwave.

Here's a picture of our gorgeous Christmas Tree:



I call it the Brittany Tree because all the Christmas ornaments on it are mine from growing up. My mother had a tradition that each year we got a christmas ornament representing something that we were involved in that year. I have cellphone ornaments, a laptop, ice skating, beanie babies, Harry Potter themed, Wicked, and even a luggage ornament (depicting my trip to Europe last year.) Some years I got two ornaments because my mother just couldn't decide. There's also about 6 or 7 on there from my dear friend, Jamie. Part of her Christmas present to me each year was an ornament, so she too is well represented on our tree. We're still looking for the right star to put on the top of it, so it's not quite complete yet.

And here's our slightly ghetto gingerbread house...they definitely don't give you enough candy to decorate it so it looks like the one in the picture on the box!



We're very excited to head California for Christmas this year. It's weird that I haven't been back in 6 months. It'll be a different Christmas this year for my family, but not in bad year. It's the first year that all the siblings have significant others. My brother Scotty got engaged this past week to Kayla Hyatt. It will be a little while before they get married, but we're excited for them nonetheless.

Last weekend I went and saw Savior of the World with my previous roommate, Kamrie. It really helped me realize how unfocused I was on the true meaning of Christmas. Yes, I was excited about getting our tree and decorating it, and lights, and snow, and gifts, and everything that tends to be involved with the Holiday season, but I had forgotten the real reason we celebrate it. The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ is really what this season is about. It is through him that we can return to live with him and our Heavenly Father after this life is over, and if he had not come to earth, born like any other child, we wouldn't ever be able to make it back. I'm so grateful for him and the sacrifices he has made for not only myself, but everyone on this Earth. I hope that even among our other holiday activities, we never forget what it's really all about. Oh and if you've never seen Savior of the World, I highly recommend you do so. It will truly touch your life.

Well there's a brief synopsis of the past month. I'm betting that my next post will be about Christmas since we leave in 9 days! Tomorrow we're going to Temple Square to enjoy the lights!