Christmas 2012

This Christmas couldn't have been more perfect.  You can't go wrong with the company of a loving family or a lovely Christmas Eve church service.

Of course, tons of good food, presents galore, and even SNOW in Texas on Christmas Day make it even better!

Christmas Eve with my wonderful family

Christmas Eve family traditions- Chicken Foot and poinsettias. Anyone else play this game?

Feeling festive on Christmas Day


White Christmas in Texas!


Most dogs hide when it rains/snows... not mine.  I think we've left him outside too long, he's a little crazy!


Boggle with the cousins.  I'm glad our family shares a love for word games.

I hope all of you had the happiest of Christmases and keep the feeling of hope, joy, and love into the new year!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Me, sister, and our family reindeer, Jager 

One thing I've come to realize in life is that it doesn't necessarily matter where you are, it matters who you are with.  I believe that you can learn to be happy in a lot of places, but the people in your life are who make all the difference. 

This has become even more evident to me this Christmas season.

I truly cannot imagine being alone for the holidays, and just thinking about those who are breaks my heart.  

As I've mentioned many times before, this is my first year living on my own in an apartment that I'm paying for, rather than my parents. I'm only 20 minutes away from home, but I have been amazed at how different it is to not be there every day during this holiday season.    

I sure am thankful to have a roommate to decorate the apartment and listen to Christmas music with, because it just wouldn't be fun to do that all by myself.  For me, a huge part of the joy and hope of the season is missing if you don't have your loved ones to share it with.     

I'll be heading over to my parents' house later this evening to begin the festivities- looking at Christmas lights, drinking hot chocolate, eating sweets, watching the Christmas classics, going to Christmas Eve church, playing board games, opening just a couple of Christmas Eve presents, then opening all the rest on Christmas morning before we get together with my extended family for food and family togetherness.  

It wouldn't be Christmas without all of those things, but most importantly, without my family.  

This is an interesting transition time in my life- I'm an adult, out of college and independent, but not yet married with children of my own.  I am enjoying this phase, but so look forward to having a husband and little ones of my own someday to expand my family and begin Christmas traditions of our own.

I'm so blessed to be able to say that I'll be home for Christmas.

Wishing each of you the best time with your loved ones, celebrating your own unique traditions, and finding peace, hope, and joy as we remember the birth of our Savior!  

Thankful Thursday

Today I Am Thankful:

--To have the next 12 days off of work! Perks of being employed by a university
--For the opportunity to volunteer with sweet little children. Little kids= my happiness!
--That calories don't count this month, at least in my opinion.  Hello, sweets!
--That it is almost Christmas, and despite sad things happening around the world, this is a season of hope and joy.  Nothing can take that away!



High Five for Friday

Today is my 25th birthday! Can't believe I'm celebrating a quarter of a century on this earth.  I'm sure thankful for a blessed life and to be surrounded by so many amazing people.

I'll of course post all about my birthday weekend, but here's what made me happy this past week:

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1. Little Christmas tree in my room at my parents' house.  Thanks, Mom!

2. First birthday present from Jenna, my roomie.  I love it!!

3. Decorated the apartment with Jenna. Finally in the Christmas spirit!

4. Spent a whole day with Liz, my friend who's been in Thailand for over a year. It was like no time had passed since we were together!

5. My loyal parents representing both of their daughters' schools for the TCU/OU game... they sure looked like confused fans! 

 

 

Where did November go? And, um, half of December...

I have been a very bad blogger lately! I feel like November flew by (I guess I just stayed really really busy), and we all know how crazy December is!

I am currently sitting on my bed, next to my boyfriend who is home in Texas for an entire month (!!!), and we decided we had neglected our blogs for far too long! So check out his blog (alexmckeemusic.blogspot.com) and then read below to hear a little about what I've been up to!

A majority of my time has, of course, been occupied by work. This is a good thing, however, because I really enjoy what I am doing and (most of the time) it doesn't even feel like work. As I've mentioned in my previous posts, part of my job involves coordinting the Center's young professionals' group, the Think Ahead Group, and at the beginning of November we celebrated two years for TAG! Alex was able to be there and see me in action/finally understand this organization that I am always talking about! The event was both of a time of celebration and a time of sadness, because the mother of three siblings who were part of TAG's founders passed away from primary progressive aphasia, a type of frontemporal dementia, the day before the party. Their mom was a huge inspiration for the creation of TAG and has left behind such a legacy.


Having Alex home for a few days in November was wonderful....and now have having him here for a month is a dream come true! Hopefully we will have lots of good pictures and memories by the time he has to return to Los Angeles for the last semester of his master's degree.

Thanksgiving was spent with my lovely family! As is tradition, the Carter sisters took a Thanksgiving photoshoot. The last one is going to be our Christmas card picture!






And, of course, I have been spending time with my sweet friends! Sometimes we are bad at taking pictures, but these hit a couple of the high points--last TCU home game of the season with Jenna, and my Women's Group Christmas Party! Looking forward to even more fun in 2012 with these ladies!


Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all of this, I turned 24! I don't feel that old, but somehow I am! My wonderful co-workers surprised me for my birthday, complete with pink and purple cupcakes, and after work I had delicious sushi with Marissa and Jenna!

Stay tuned for my next post...I hope that the topic is going to become part of a regular series for me! (If I can remember to update this thing!)

I hope you are all doing well this Christmas season and filled with joy from our many blessings as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. I know I have much to rejoice in!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas... In Texas, That Is

My mom used to read this story to us every Christmas Eve! 

‘Twas the night before Christmas

In Texas you know,

Way out on the prairie

Without any snow.

Asleep in their cabin

Were Buddy and Sue

A-dream’ of Christmas

Like me and like you.

Not stockings, but boots

At the foot of their bed,

For this was in Texas,

What more need be said?

When all of a sudden

From out the still night,

There came such a ruckus

It gave me a fright!

And I saw ‘cross the prairie

Like a shot from a gun,

A loaded-up buckboard

Come on at a run.

The driver was ‘Geein’,

And ‘hawin’, with a will.

The hosses (not reindeer)

He drove with such skill.

“Come on there Buck, Pancho,

And Prince, to the right!

There’ll be plenty of travelin’

For you-all tonight.”

The driver in Levi’s

And shirt that was red,

Had a ten-gallon Stetson

On top of his head.

As he stepped from the buckboard

He was really a sight,

With his beard and moustaches

So curly and white.

As he burst in the cabin

The children awoke,

And both so astonished

That neither one spoke.

And he filled up their boots

With such presents galore

That neither could think

Of a single thing more.

When Buddy recovered

The use of his jaws,

He asked, in a whisper,

“Are you Santa Claus?”

“Am I the REAL Santa?

Well, what do you think?”

And he smiled as he gave

A mysterious wink.

Then he lept in his buckboard,

And called back, in his drawl,

“To all children of TEXAS,

MERRY CHRISTMAS, you-all!”