Christmas was very different for me this year, good, but different. Here are some of the most obvious reasons:
- I am married!
- I didn't go have Christmas with my immediate family, but went to Orient, Zach's home
- I hit my elbow really, really hard on Christmas Eve and couldn't use it at all for a couple of hours
- Zach and I have some different Christmas traditions and some compromises were made as we develope our own family traditions
- The family Christmas at Orient with the Saylors and Zellwegers was dif than usual cause two families went to the in-laws for Christmas
- The family at whose house we visited had about 5 little dogs running around all the time. There is a firm "no animals in the house" rule enforced at the Saylor and Saylor and Swope home (though the latter has been getting lax about the rule).
On Christmas Eve, Zach worked on his new truck stereo (merry Christmas, Sweetheart) to get it working by 5pm. Then for the next few hours before 5, we opened a new gift every hour. We draw names in our families, so here's what I got:
- From my bro, Michael: The "together" Willowtree carving (a couple one). I am collecting them.
- From my parents: A cute little snowman lamp with candles (I love snowmen).
- From my in-laws: a Carhart coat (I went to exchange for a smaller size and will have to wait till mid-January, but I needed a work coat and am very excited).
- From the love of my life: ice skates and roller blades, the two activites that he really likes and I know he will do with me. In my stocking, he got me a bluetooth earpiece to go with my phone. I have wanted one for a long time and it was half the price when we opened our new phone account!!
So we are going to clear off the Faith Pond tomorrow after the snow and go skating together. I can't wait!!! Then summer time we can blade on the new path in Ankeny!
It was good to get to know more relatives, but everyone seemed to just want to sit and talk. We played one game and then did a little gift exchange. I came home with a really neat porceline Christmas village set with all the little houses and people. Poor Zach got a worn out wrench, an old; howbeit, washed and non-holey pair of work socks, and a NRA hat. I was able to help out with planning the one for next year. We are going to give gifts of anykind, but that have to do with any Christmas carol or song. For example: my little Christmas town could have gone with "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "Away In the Manger" could be a box of hay with Baby Ruth or Sugar Baby in the middle. People, well the women that is, were getting excited and having all these good ideas.
My dearest husband had developed a cold on the Sunday before Christmas and he is still getting over it. He was all drugged up and tired on Christmas so we left when most everything died down. We were loaded down with sweets and food that we are giving half at least away since there are only two of us and we really don't need all those sweets. We got home about 5pm and then we were pathetically just sitting on the couch tiredly pondering what to do to bide time till bed time. We started a movie and I fell asleep. After my nap and his just sitting back, we both were starving and after devouring leftover Olive Garden (thanks to wedding gifts) we were both wide awake for the next couple hours. We still crashed at about 9:30, but it was all good. It was a wonderful weekend and between church family and home family, we were able to rejoice of Christ's birth all together for another year!
Right now I am putting in a couple of hours at work washing laundry and little stuff to catch up over the weekend. Tomorrow I get to start shampooing and more shampooing of offices, but it is all overtime. Yay! Plus, it helps the time go by whilst Zach is working and I can't be with him!
