Christmas Eve was delightful but busy, going to the 11am Christmas Eve service at Grace then to Josh's family's annual Christmas party. That was quite a party, as usual, at his brother's house instead of his aunt & uncle's. The kids were especially cute with their new toys.
Christmas was very good. Christmas morning was spent with my family- our usual around-the-tree gift opening. I got the #1 thing on my list, an SLR camera, and I am very excited. I hope to take up photography more now. I think (hope) the gifts I gave were well-received as well. After the excitement died down, I headed to Josh's house, where I opened gifts from his family. His parents got me a gorgeous framed picture of one of the Tiffany windows in the church I'll be married in (Trivia: my parents also got married in a church with a Tiffany window) The stained glass window depicts Jesus standing at a door knocking. I look forward to being able to put it in our home.
Josh's brother's family then came over, and more gifts were opened. They gave Josh and I a crockpot, which I want to learn how to use- my mom never had one, so I don't have any idea what to cook in it. We'll figure it out. Another home-addition, hooray. Josh & I got one of his nephews a stick horse, which, apparently he is crazy about. He put it down only to eat after he opened it and insisted upon sleeping with it as well. A couple days later, Josh was over at the house, and he was still doing laps around the house with the horse. Points for Uncle Josh and Aunt Joanna. Yay. Christmas evening, following a tip from my sister's boyfriend's family, we hunted down a house in Fishers that had an amazing light display, synchronized to a series of songs being broadcast on 100.1 FM in the vicinity of the house. Josh & I must have sat there for 10 minutes or more, enthralled.
The morning after Christmas, I woke up not feeling great, but I ignored it. I went shopping with Josh to begin our Christmas decoration collection. We got some basic decorations and stockings 50% off. I was particularly excited about the stockings. I returned home, ran some errands with my dad, felt kinda icky until after dinner, when I proceded to throw up all night and felt horrible for the next two days. I didn't even barely get out of bed the 27th, when I was supposed to be at the gift exchange with Josh's other brother's family. I was disappointed to miss it. Yesterday I felt better and went over to Josh's house, only to feel weak by evening enough that my prince whisked me home and spent the night, so I got to see him this morning too. :)
Today we had a mini-birthday party for me, even though my birthday isn't till next year ( ;-) ). It was a quiet, family event, and, although my appetite isn't entirely back, there was ham-and-pineapple pizza present, so I was happy.
Season's reflections
Christmas Eve, we also went to the service at Josh's church, and the message focused on how, although we hear the "same old, same old" Christmas story every year, each year we are different people when we hear it. Due to growth and learning and change and life experiences, I am not the same person as I was last year at Christmastime. Next year this will even be more true.
As I sit here on New Year's Eve Eve, I look forward to the changes in the year to come. Next Christmas, I will have a different last name, a different home, a different locale, a different occupation, a different church, new traditions, and a host of other changes not as obvious. I welcome these. I know it's God's plan that these changes happen, and, honestly, I can't wait. But I will.
I'm mostly excited to have all these changes happen married to my best friend.
1 comment:
Crock pots are so nice and easy! Did you get a cookbook for it too? I bet you'll like using yours. Hooray for home stuff! I'm sorry you were sick, that seems to be the theme of this year's Christmas. When does school start again? Happy birthday early. :-)
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