Holly Jollies

There is too much to post in both words and pictures to describe all that we did this past week to celebrate Christmas. We are truly blessed to have such amazing friends and family. A few highlights were:
-Going Ice-skating @ the Galleria on Christmas Eve with the family
-Having Santa come to see my nieces on Christmas Eve
-Singing Karaoke with Abbi for hours on her new karaoke machine (thanks grandpa!)
-Late night settlers of catan games
-drinking all the diet coke a girl could want!
-making sugar cookies with my mom & abbi

Hope your Christmas was just as amazing and eventful!

Christmas Shinangans

Geoff and I feel so very blessed to have moved into a ward where we made instant best friends with 3 other couples. We spend almost every weekend together with these people and I seriously can't get enough of the three girls. I honestly believe we felt compelled to move into our place not only to be near amazing doctors-- but to meet these awesome friends. They have been so supportive and just amazing to us from day one.

This month we have done a few really fun things with them. We threw Kim a surprise birthday party and also went on a Christmas downtown tour of Houston. It's been a busy month but filled with SO much fun!

Raindrops on roses

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the tradition of getting a new holiday dress. This year, I decided I needed a really awesome RED dress... and of course I turn to Shabby Apple to make all my dreams come true. Yes, i am a tad obsessed, but I never have to worry about modesty with the dresses but also never have to sacrifice style. I love pairing the dress with black lacey tights and my 5 inch black stilettos! Makes me wish I could dress up like this every single day!

Holiday Trivia

Saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was fun!

1. Holiday spirit ... is the BEST. I think that is one reason I love Christmas music so much. I love the feeling I get when you are sitting around with family drinking hot chocolate, listening to Bing Crosby by the Christmas tree. Does it get any better than that??

2. The Holidays are incomplete without....family. We have been blessed to spend our first couple of Christmas' of marriage with Geoff's family and the last one & this year with my family and they have all been so amazing just because we are with those we love. I don't think I could love a group of people anymore than I do my family.


3. My favorite things to do around the holidays are: bake with my Mom, play games with my family, watch It's a Wonderful Life and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and go look at Christmas lights.


4. A holiday tradition my family has is ... we have a small Christmas program every Christmas Eve, we enjoy quite the decadent feast, and we always open up pajamas on Christmas Eve night... and we always have a big slumber party. A new tradition the guys have started this year is staying up late playing computer games together, haha.


5. Christmas music is ... my favorite thing ever. I start listening at the end of October-- I am a freak! I love the old school stuff like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra... mixed in with the newer stuff like Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr.


6. This year I'll be spending the holidays ... at my brother's house in Pearland. We will ALL be home this year and spending the night there. It will be a PARTY!


7. Holiday Wish List... to have a baby next year (:Other than that- I have everything I have ever wanted!

Christmas

I am the first to admit I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I adore decorating my tree and baking bread for neighbors and friends... that sometimes I forget what this season is all about. Tonight I came across this quote and it reminded me of the real reason for the "magic" of the season that is upon us and I just wanted to share it with all those who read my blog.

"Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is Love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It is Magnificent and Beautiful." -President Gordon B. Hinckley

Next step

Well, finally my doctors and my MRI specialist came to a conclusion... my uterus looks GOOD! I am so glad they were thorough and really took time to make sure they did everything they could to come to that conclusion.

Next step is a consultation with both of my fertility doctors to write a plan for treatment. Can I just say how grateful I am for these wonderful men? They really have no idea how much HOPE they have given me that I can become a Mother with their help.

I wish I had some awesome pictures to post... but I don't. Geoff and I have been going a million miles an hour between teaching, but we are doing well. We enjoyed a visit with his parents over the Thanksgiving break and took them everywhere around Houston and enjoyed all the amazing food Texas has to offer (can't believe I actually lost a pound over Thanksgiving!)

I am so grateful for all the good people in our lives. I have had COUNTLESS friends and family tell us how they have fasted, prayed and thought about us with all that we have been dealing with. I feel like the luckiest person alive to have so many wonderful people in my life!! I will post more whenever I know more that is going on.