A Lovely Christmas Vacation

I'm so thankful that we got such a great Christmas break this year. We came to Georgia on the 19th of December and didn't get back until this morning. Almost 2 whole weeks! I haven't spent that much time in Georgia for Christmas in over 5 years. We had tons planned to do, more than we could have done in that time, actually, but it was still a great time.

The Sunday before Christmas, we performed in the Stake Christmas Concert. On Monday, the Wilcox girls went off to Atlanta to see Jennifer's new apartment on the north side, go out for lunch, and shop at the Atlanta Apparel Mart (so much jewelry!!)

Sam and I also had several days to finish all our shopping, which way more relaxing than previous years when we would have to finish on Christmas Eve.

We also got to relive a Christmas tradition we haven't done in years: seeing the lights at Callaway Gardens! It was a very cold night, but we all bundled up on the Jolly Trolley to enjoy the sights and wander the Christmas Village.

Christmas Eve and Christmas were busy, as always, as we share the day with both families. But the bouncing back and forth is worth it as we get a full Christmas with both families!

We got some great kitchen stuff like a mini food processor, some gadgets from Williams Sonoma, several movies, and new clothes! The Sunday after Christmas we performed again, this time in Sacrament Meeting.
The week after Christmas gave us time to hang out, do more shopping, and even have lunch with the Houghtaling's!

So much pecan bark and good food, so many presents, so many games, so much family time! We were starting to feel very settled in Georgia and weren't thrilled to return back to daily life and its work, bills, early mornings, and winter weather. Thankfully, there's always next Christmas!

A real Christmas miracle

 Painting recovered from the Provo Tabernacle fire. The image of Christ was untouched. Image courtesy of KSL

Daniel 3:24-25
24: "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.     UAdd a Note 

25: He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

And another great message from today's Christmas program: "And after they had seen Him, the Wisemen took a different road home. Should it not be so with us?" I always enjoy reminders of the true meaning of Christmas

Ok, NOW it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Ok, ok. That wasn't all I wanted to say. I've just had that pent up all evening. Recap of the story was that some guy in an SUV had pulled up after us in line I guess thinking he had claimed the spot we were directly perpendicular to. When I backed up a bit to let the guy leaving out of the parking spot so we could take it (and had a right to in the first place), the guy waiting behind us honked like crazy, then rolled down the window to scream profanities at us, then raced around to park by the sidewalk and get out when we ignored is angry taunts, THEN followed us and threatened to beat us because we continued to ignore his obvious desire to fight over it. We walked quickly into the restaurant and a crowd of people to hide from him. Some people are CRAZY! We were both shaking with anger, offense, and anxiety for at least half of what should have been a lovely birthday dinner out. Thanks, psychotic jerkface.

In other news, the Provo Tabernacle burned down, and I am really sad about that. It was a beautiful, 120+ year old building that looked more like an old Catholic church than an LDS church meetinghouse and was a big piece of Provo heritage. I have distinct memories of great Stake Conferences there both in my single days as well as my married days, a lovely Handel's Messiah sing-in at Christmastime, not to mention BYU Women's Chorus concerts. One really great memory I have of Sam and I from our Freshman year happened there: he came to my concert all dressed up and carrying a bouquet of red roses. I heard girls in front of me giggling to each other and debating over which of them some cute boy below them was looking at. I leaned over to see who all this giggling and fuss was about only to see my Samuel looking so handsome and searching the balcony of singers for me. He smiled when he saw me and the group of girls in front whipped around to ask if he was mine and proceeded to tell me how lucky I was. But I already knew that. Wow, sorry to gush. I'm just sad.

But on a happier note than either of those things, Christmas Break is here! Like the last leg of a marathon, we made it through finals and work and sleep deprivation to 2 weeks of freedom! Yesterday was Samuel's 24th birthday and, sure enough, he had to take a 7am final. :( I still got up early with him to make him his favorite breakfast of Raspberry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast (yes, it's as amazing as it sounds). Then after his final he got to take a long nap, be exempt from dish-doing, enjoy some decadent brownie-ganache birthday cake made by yours truly, and play some basketball before hunkering down for more studying. Tonight we went  out for dinner at our favorite La Jolla Groves and did some window shopping in the mall. Now we just have to finish laundry. And pack. And pick up the house to be ready to leave tomorrow. It will be a late night, but who cares. Tomorrow we'll be on a plane to my beloved Georgia and to CHRISTMAS!

 

 To-die-for chocolate cake

 

 Awesome lights in the Riverwoods shopping center's new square.

 The huge tree in the mall! Doesn't it look a little bit like these two pictures could be one panoramic picture?

This is why I hate Utah traffic...

Dear jerk who flipped out over the parking spot we took that you thought you had claim over by sneaking around us to try and get, 

Rolling down your windows to curse us out, then pulling over to get out and follow us while threatening us because we ignored you doesn't make you look tough, it makes you look like a spoiled child and a fool. If this violence and aggression is how you respond to something so trivial, you've got way bigger problems than us, and the next time you harass us you WILL end up in handcuffs. I feel sorry for every person in your life.

Sincerely,
One more person who has no respect for you.

Whew. Had to get that out.

I Shot My Eye Out (Metaphorically)

Do you ever have days in work, motherhood, or what have you when you feel like you can't do anything right? And you feel a little like this guy?

Today at work, and the last few days, actually, I've felt a little too much like this. You want something bad enough without realizing that it might be just what beats you down. Thankfully no one was shouting, "you'll shoot your eye out!" when I was working to earn the bb gun, but at times I can't help feeling like I'm in shock, suddenly sitting in the snow with a pair of cracked eye glasses and the knowledge that I did, in fact, shoot my eye out. I know, pity party much? It's really not as dramatic as all that, I just doubt my abilities and my potential at times.

On that note, I'd like to take this opportunity that I've been saving up to brag about my adorable and amazing husband and how much I love him. Walking into his arms at the end of a long day would make any job worth it. Not only that, but he has the uncanny ability to brighten my day and build my spirits to where I've almost forgotten anything unpleasant that happened before coming home to him. He helped me make dinner tonight then snuggled with me for over an hour until The Office was over. He's now at the church playing basketball and I miss him. Very soon we'll be able to spend 2 whole weeks together!

On another side note, we have a decorated apartment. Not pictured are colored lights around the entertainment center, a wreath, another silvery wreath outside and two faux poinsettias. This also makes me very happy to come home to.