Sunday, November 27, 2011

History of my Christmas Village

It has been amazing to be home with my family! I love it! My favorite part was spending pretty much the whole weekend putting up Christmas decorations and laughing at my four-year-old nephew. He is hilarious. Yesterday we put up the village. We started the village when I was in high school because my mom wanted me to have a collection of some sort. Some of my siblings wanted in on the fun of making a village, so they got some houses of their own, which eventually required the use  of the entire front room to showcase our village houses.

At first, my village was just a random collection, but eventually my mom began buying me houses or people that represented something about me or my life that year, so we've kept that tradition. Almost every item in my village tells something about me or my life. I have about 25 "items" in my village now. I say items because not everything in my village is a house. This year I actually got three things to add to my village: a house to represent me moving into my grandma's basement, a teddybear shop because I collect teddy bears, and a train because I rode a train for the first time this year. I am super excited to have a train in my village now! It even blows smoke and has a whistle!

I loaded up my car yesterday and it is packed full of my village and other things I am taking back with me. I'm hoping to set up my village on Tuesday night, at least start setting it up anyway.

As I started setting up my mom's village, I thought about how much work it is every year to take down all the boxes, figure out how to display it, take all of the things out of their boxes, etc. and I wondered if we were crazy for even doing it. I started out doing it by myself, but then I decided to wait until others could help me because that is what has made having a village so meaningful. The time we spend doing it means the world to me. Not everyone helps set it up, but they still do something to add to it. Ryan every year has put random toys in the village and told me the story of how they came to be there. I will really miss that about not having my village at home. Each year it is a different story and I look forward to it.

There is more I can say, but this will have to do. I have family dinner to go to !!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Tender Mercies

I finally made it home after a slight delay. The cover of my gas lid wouldn't open when I pulled the button, so I went to my reliable friends in Provo who pried it open for me-- meaning, he broke the lock so now it can just be opened. I am actually grateful he broke it...

By some miracle, or a dozen miracles I'd say, I was able to stay awake all through the night to make it home at 4 AM. By then I'd been awake almost 23 hours and I was struggling. I don't think I'll drive alone at night ever again like this, or at least night leave just before 9 PM. It was worth it though. Anything is worth it to spend time at home with my family. I love my family.

Yesterday we began decorating for Christmas. That's right, the day before Thanksgiving. We have lots of decorations and usually we get grumpy and really tired when we try to do it all on the day after Thanksgiving, so I am really grateful we started yesterday. It was nice to know we had plenty of time and could just enjoy it all. We put up the tree and decorated it and put up garland and other decorations in the kitchen and family room. I sorted through the ornaments and my mom sorted through the angels so I can take them back to UT with me to decorate my own place. We listened to Christmas music and I just loved every moment of it. It was also fun to see how excited Tyler was to do little things to help decorate. He is getting so big!

Phase 1 of decorating is complete. Phase 2 will be setting up the village. I am going to bring all my village houses to UT with me, so I will sort though them all. It will be interesting to see how much space I will have left in my car after I put them all in. Before starting Phase 2, my daddy and I must play pool. We set the village up on the ping pong table that goes on top of the pool table, so to get our games in, we will play today. I like my little pool games with my daddy.

Thanksgiving dinner we are going out to Home Town Buffet. Most people think that is really odd, but it's something that we've done many times since I was in high school or younger. We still do have it at home some years, but only when I or someone else requests it. Mostly it's because it's a hassle to cook and clean up after, so it's easier for my mom. Afterward, we are going to have a Harry Potter marathon.

Sometime this weekend I will also be helping Amanda put in her college application to BYU. So exciting!!

Now, to give thanks. I have so much to be grateful for this year. It has been a very challenging year for me, with a lot of growing up experiences. I am grateful that I moved into my grandma's basement- to have my own HUGE room and space to make the beginnings of my own home. I am also grateful for my friends. It was a really rough start, but there are a few individuals who have been there for me from the very beginning. I've also made many friends in the past couple months who have helped me in so many ways that I can't even begin to express enough gratitude for them. I am also grateful that I have a job I love that teaches me new things everyday about the kind of person I want to be and prepares me to be the kind of wife and mother I want to become. I am also very grateful for my family and the traditions we do together. I am grateful that they love me for who I am and are always there for me, supporting me in all that I do. It's just amazing to me to have a group of people who know me so well and they love me for everything that I am. They have helped me to become who I am and I am grateful for that, too.

Now, time to play some pool with my daddy!!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Thanksgiving

A speaker at church today said that she refuses to set up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving because she wants to remember Thanksgiving. At first, I laughed and looked at a couple of my friends who have already started decorating for Christmas and listening to Christmas music like I have. I also kind of got a little defensive because she made it sound like it was a HORRIBLE thing to start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Of course, it's not a horrible thing and it's just her personal opinion. The point she was trying to make is that Thanksgiving is an important holiday, too, and shouldn't be passed over.

I assure you, I haven't forgotten Thanksgiving.

I'm trying to be more thankful or express gratitude all year round, just like I try to give service to people all year round and not just at Christmastime. However, the speaker gave me a good idea. Thanksgiving can be a day that I express thanks to specific people--a special thing and not just a general "I'm thankful for... " that we sometimes say before we eat Thanksgiving dinner.

To me, Thanksgiving and Christmas go hand-in-hand because they are both all about being with my family-enjoying them and showing my love and appreciation for them. It's also a time for me to show my love and appreciation for my family and friends in a little different way than I normally do. I am not a huge gift giver, so it really is a special or significant thing for me to show my love in this way once a year.

This time of year is when I am the most happy. There are just so many things that I love about this time of year, it was hard to postpone putting up decorations to start feeling that holiday spirit myself even if no one else is. Plus, decorating early has brought me some really fun reactions from people, and that has only added to my happiness.

I am SUPER excited to go home on Wednesday to visit my family!! I'm helping Amanda with her college application to BYU. It's weird to think she will most likely be out here next year going to college. I am excited for her to start her own new adventure!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Friends

I realized something this past week that really made me happy- I have friends. Okay, I already knew I had friends, but I didn't realize until this week how many friends I have made here in PG. I didn't have work for most of this past week, so a few nights this week I was able to stay out a little later watching movies or just talking and laughing with my friends. Tonight at the CES fireside, I looked down the row where I was sitting and saw that my friends and I filled up the whole row plus some. It's amazing. I don't know most of them super well, but that is coming.

With that said, tonight I decided that I needed to change my birthday party plans. I was thinking to do a fancy dinner party with my china dishes and a small group of friends that have really helped me transition into living here. But now I'm thinking that will have to wait until another time. As I sat at the fireside surrounded by some of my new friends, I felt like I wanted them all to be invited to come if they want to. Why not? So, now I'm going to have cheesecake and martinelli's in my fancy glasses and a game night. I might even get some chocolate mint cookies and have hot chocolate if anyone wants it. It's simple and that's perfect for me.

I am just really grateful to have friends that I can laugh with, tease, and just have fun with. I've been missing that aspect of Provo since I got here and now it's finally starting to come.

Speaking of friends, a couple of my friends helped me unbury my Christmas tree and set it up as well as move some things around so I can set up my Christmas village. I'm so excited for Christmas. One of those friends is giving me a hard time about getting him into the Christmas spirit too early, but whatever.

For some reason, I just really needed to start Christmas a little earlier this year. I got most of my shopping done already and I am probably going to decorate my tree this week. I have to wait until I go home for Thanksgiving to get all my ornaments, angel collection, and Christmas village collection to set up. It just feels good to decorate and think about what I will do this Christmas season. I signed up to do Sub for Santa this year. It's similar to a family tradition my family had and so I thought it would be a good thing to start doing on my own until I have my own family. I'm excited to do things with my friends and go home!! It will be an awesome holiday season!