Christmas Memories

Before we begin down memory lane, pics from today:


The guys got sportcoats for Christmas, this is Dave this morning, he had to match Dad for church. What a couple of hotties.


Pretty much what we've been doin all day today. Poor Calvin, his cold is worse.


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The new calendars are up. The decorations are boxed in the attic. All the Christmas Carols are out of my head. School is even starting tomorrow. But I'm going to go back in time, just a month, to remember my favorite parts of this Christmas.

1. First and foremost was the joy that came, I've already blogged about it, but I just have to start with that, because it is what I'm thankful for most. A joy in the decorations, and joy in the season, a joy with the boys, a joy in the gift buying and even a joy in the cookie baking. A great JOY in HIM.



2. We attended the Christmas Banquet at church. There was a 37 (or so) peice orchestra up on stage to entertain and play music for us. It was for adults only. (nice!) The dinner was absolutely scrumptious. Then at the end of the evening our resident comedian (our pastor) got up to do his yearly fun. My name got drawn for the party game, the lovely gift swap and steal game. By the end of the game he had made me sit off to the side and no longer participate, the pastor was addressing Jay in the audience saying I might need church discipline. Our pastor is very funny. Real funny.

3. My friend Theresa and I went to our town's Tour of Historic Homes. It was a VERY cold Saturday afternoon, we were both tired and a little frenzied feeling. But after talking and vowing to pray more for each other, our day was perfect. It was completely dark and overcast and absolutely frigid as we walked from home to home. It was beautiful and fun, and we giggled and talked and relaxed and it was, by far, one of my most favorite things I did all season. Thanks Theresa, for your friendship, what a treasure you are

4. The Company Christmas Party. Basically it was the guys calling Cathi & I while they were at work one day and saying they wanted to take us out to dinner and me calling it our Christmas Party. It was just the four of us. But since we're such great friends it was a hoot. The most divine dinner and drinks. Lots & lots of laughter, and a celebration of friendship that has spanned ... what seems like forever.

5. A last minute trip to CA...we didn't think we'd be able to do. Sweetie kept checking the flights and guilt got the best of him. How do you not go home and see your Mama at Christmastime? :o) It was just 5 days the week before Christmas. It was perfect. Perfect to see my sister and her fun family. Perfect to wake up every morning to my Mama & Daddy's house. So much fun to be with Jay's family again. To beat down my Mother-in-Law at Uno. (she loves me & really loves that I live 3000 miles away!) Too fun to go playin' with Sara. Fun to go back to church and hug on necks I haven't seen in a long while. Very fun to celebrate and appreciate our employees and customers, to do another Christmas Party and be the Bingo Master yet again. Though this time we had our own room at the restaurant so I didn't have to feel too bad about being loud. We had a blast and are so thankful we got to go.


our little company of guys, they are the best! It was fun to go straight to the job from the airport and see them all. What a blessing they are.



my Dad took the boys one day and had them do chores, it was great since they had been bickerin' for awhile that morning. I left the house that morning with them helping him hang the Christmas lights. Yippee!



Calvin had to take over for decorating the top of the tree, he was thrilled that his Mimi happens to be a little vertically challenged, not that that's a bad thing.




helpin' Papa put the train around the tree.



the boys idea of hilarious.



Have I said before that I love this guy? He's Captain Cutie-Patootie.



Mine and Dave's self portrait, we're not so good at it.



a Boy and his Mimi (and I'm seein' now that my pictures are startin' to get a little fuzzy, it could have been the eggnog, maybe)



Wiseman Folly...my husband's idea of hilarious.



while I was out playin' with Sara, Sweetie took the boys over to his brother's house and the cousins did flips in the front yard...Calvin basically landed with a thud.



Dave proved to be a bit more agile...it was a good thing I wasn't there, I can't even stand to look at the pictures. And our Chiropractor just loved us when we got home.



The boys with Granny Betty (Sweetie's mom), she's a hoot. and after raising 8 kids, she's not at all a loon!



My mama, me, my beautiful Neice & Sister (dang, but my hand looks huge!)



Sweetie, Calvin, Dave, my Daddy & Bro-in-Law, Lance



Mimi & Papa Claus got Calvin a shave kit for Christmas, he was so absolutely thrilled, can you tell?



my sister and I opened our last gift at the same time, apparently it was going to be the same thing...I was told I had the same look on my face, but Sweetie captured her instead...she's funnier, and she has a bigger mouth. (A gift card to our favorite store, we were a little thrilled)



We've come full circle. This time last year, I was in this same spot, had just started my blog and eating my Daddy's french toast. Here's the shot for you, can you see the hair??



And this was what you could see every morning and why my heart breaks a little more everytime I think about the fact that we live 3000 miles away.

Hope you have some precious memories to keep in your heart too.