Happy Birthday Seattle!!!!

It is Seattle's Birthday today! She is one of Lauren's friends and we love her! We have done so many fun things with her and her family this year. She is also in Lauren's class! I know it can be hard to have your birthday so close to Christmas. Sometimes we get so busy, it's easy to let things slide by. But not YOUR BIRTHDAY SEATTLE!!! We love you Seattle! Enjoy your day gorgeous!

I is more smater then I look!

It's official! I got my grades in and I got an A in Psych and an A in French II! I am thrilled. My parents are shocked and proud. It's about time huh? I have 18 units under my belt and a 4.0 GPA!

Finals are over!

Yes! I finally finished my finals! I keep checking my grades on line even though they are due until the 17th. I know I got an A in French. Yea me! I will have to wait and see the Psychology grade. So now I can really focus on Christmas and the shopping I still need to do.

Friday evening was the Marquette Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun! This year we had dinner at a brand new place. It's called Cucina Nassi. The owner is Valter Nassi, the same chef/owner of Cucina Toscana downtown. They took the old post office building in Sugar House and turned in into an amazing venue. It is not a full service restaurant, they only do events and receptions but the food is just as amazing as the food in the restaurant. So those of you who are looking for a different place to have a reception you have to check this place out.

The only thing I did on Saturday was take Lauren to her rehearsal for her Christmas violin recital. I love listening to all of the students play together. Some of the older students really make me want to keep Lauren in class, they are so good! If Lauren could do that in 5 or 6 years I would love it!

For those of you not in Utah, we got a lot of snow yesterday. (P.S. I LOVE the Audi in the snow!) The girls couldn't wait to play outside. It ends as it always does...about 30 minutes later, they are shivering and crying and want to sit in the tub for an hour to thaw out! Gotta love it! Here is a snowman Emily made and a snow chair that Lauren made and was actually sitting in. (I wonder why they were so cold?!)

Christmas Tag

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper mostly but I do like to mix it up under the tree.

2.Real tree or Artificial? Real (See yesterday's post!)

3.When do you put up the tree? As soon as I can after Thanksgiving

4.When do you take the tree down? Usually the first week after New Year's Day. I try to have it done before I go back to school

5.Do you like eggnog? It's o.k.about 2 times a year. Otherwise it's too rich.

6.Favorite gift received as a child? Rub-a-Dub Dolly. Yes I just totally dated myself.

7.Hardest person to buy for? My Dad and my Father-in-law.

8.Easiest person to buy for? John

9.Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. 2 actually.

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? Christmas Cards????

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm sure some sweater from a grandparent. There were so many of those.

12.Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas and Elf.

13.When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I see something throughout the year I will buy it (but I usually forget about it by Christmas). It mostly begins in November in earnest.

14.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so, but I may have.

15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? ANYTHING! I love anything baked. Our neighbors, the Gustafson's bring us a loaf of the best Coffee cake kind of treat. It has an almond flavor with a crispy sugary top. It's really tasty but we are also fine eating the Pepridge Farms Gingerbread Family Cookies.

16.Lights on the tree? 1,500 multi-colored.

17.Favorite Christmas song? Baby it's Cold and Angles We Have Heard On High.

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home for now but when the kids are older, I wouldn't mind spending Christmas someplace tropical.

19.Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Most of them but I get confused with Snow White's dwarfs. Sad, I know.

20.Angel on tree top or star ? Bow. I haven't found a topper I love yet.

21.Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? On Christmas Eve the kids open their gifts from John's Parents (we spend Xmas eve at their place with all the family). Then all the rest on Christmas Day.

22.Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I'm not into big crowds or rude people. Too many years of retail. (Sherilyn, aren't you glad it's over!).

23.Favorite ornament theme or color? Our tree has a random assortment of colors and themes. we buy a few new ornaments every year that say something about what we did that year or something special to us. For instance, we have a new mickey mouse ornament from Disneyland this year. So, I love that next year when we decorate the tree, we can't help but talk about where we were and what we were doing.

24.Favorite for Christmas dinner? We usually do hors d'oeuvres
and finger foods but I would love to have Prime Rib. Last year we were DONE and I think I was sick so we actually had Chinese take out! It was soo Christmas Story that we had to order the duck!

25.What do you want for Christmas this year? I Think UGG's maybe? I don't really know.

26.Who is most likely to respond to this? I don't know, since like two people read my Blog. :-)

Real or Fake?

No, I am not talking about boobs! I am talking about Christmas trees. Christmas Psycho that I am, we went to get our tree over the weekend. Yes, we still get a real tree. Every year I am reminded of all the reasons why an artificial tree would be so much more convenient. I could find one that is 8-10 feet tall with out a 16-20 foot wide base. My husband wouldn't have to spend hours putting on the 1,500 lights. (I am NOT exaggerating!) I also could put it up right after Halloween if I wanted to. I would not have to trudge through snow in the dark to find the "perfect" tree. There would be no gaping holes to cover with huge ornaments or to turn to the wall. I would not have to wait with the tree naked in my house for a day until it "settles" (ask John about this, I still think he just does it to toy with me.). I would not have to shell out the big bucks for an already dying plant that I will throw away in 6 weeks. I will not step on any pine needles, barefoot in the middle of the night. I will not ruin another vacuum cleaner cleaning up after my fire hazard of a tree finally gets dragged through the house and chucked into the back yard. Wow. Why do I get a real tree every year? I will tell you, the smell (no, the candles are NOT just as good). The kids giggling and running up and down the aisles at the tree lot shouting, "This one, Mom". I know this list seems really lop-sided but we do it every year and even though I complain heavily, I will keep on "Keepin' it real".