Christmas Smells and Wedding Bells

Christmas Break with a mixture of wedding bliss-that has been my last few weeks. It all began with a magical carriage ride around temple square with some of my roommates to see the lights.

Then I rushed from helping the new Bride pick up her wedding dress to going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert with my family. As always, the concert was a magical experience and very well done.

My next mission was to successfully throw a beautiful bridal shower for Megan: our Bride-to-be!

STEP 1. Serve Great Food

With a little help from my Mom and my friends, we had a delicious brunch complete with homemade quiche and Lemon poppy seed cake.

STEP 2: INVITE GREAT FRIENDS

STEP 3: PLAY FUNNY GAMES

STEP 4: GIVE GREAT GIFTS

STEP 5: MAKE THE BRIDE BLUSH

STEP 6: MEET THE GROOM

That is my recipe for a perfect Bridal Shower! 

The next mission was to celebrate the beautiful birth of our Savior! Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. And it is not quite complete without...

 The Christmas Story and Nativity Scene

This year was the Christmas of illness. My Mother came down with a terrible stomach flu a couple days before Christmas and was quarantined to her room. This left me and my sister to take care of the last minute shopping and my father to take care of the big Christmas Eve dinner.

I came down with the bug on Christmas Eve morning and spent the whole day in bed or on the bathroom floor. Although this was not fun, it gave me some time to catch up on some missed T.V shows.

My family always has a big Christmas Eve party that I look forward to every year. I knew my stomach was not ready for the Prime Rib dinner, but I did get the opportunity to lay on the couch and participate in some way with the festivities. I felt much better on Christmas and was even able to eat our annual Christmas Brunch. (I stayed away from the stocking candy though)

I woke up Christmas morning to a silent room. My father was at church (we decided it best not to infect the congregation, so the rest stayed home), Mom was still sleeping, and Grace and Tammy were asleep as well. I sat on the couch soaking up the beauty of the tree. I took advantage of those peaceful moments by reading a few of my favorite Christmas books around the tree. I chose A Christmas Dress for Ellen, The Christmas Oranges, & The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. Nothing like a good Christmas book and a beautiful tree to bring a few joyful tears down your cheek.

The rest of Christmas morning was joyful as we all shared cherished memories of Christmases past over a feast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and Hot Chocolate. Oh and there were presents too.

Grace Got a Wiggle Car from Santa!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!