Well, it's been a very busy week, but lots of fun! Keith took some extra vacation, so he was off Wed through today. It has been so nice having him around, and the girls love playing with their Daddy. Even when he's just out in the garage cleaning or doing a project, they love to be out there with him because it's something new & exciting! It's going to be hard having him go back to work tomorrow, but we are SO thankful that this year he is working at a job he enjoys! In general, we were truly counting our blessings on Thanksgiving this year--jobs for our whole (even extended) family, health, provision for some much-needed appliance replacements, a delicious meal, fun shopping excursions on Black Friday and Saturday, and the joy of having family nearby to celebrate these wonderful holidays! God is so good!
We hosted Thanksgiving this year, which meant we had 18 people at our house (including our family of four.) I think it was a success, as everyone seemed full & satisfied after dinner. :) This was our second time hosting the big group, and we decided that really, it's not too hectic until that last hour, when you're trying to juggle the turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and mashed potatoes on one stovetop/oven. :) It all got done, though, and Dad got here in time to help with gravy, Grandma looking over his shoulder, as in many years past! We had everyone here except Senia, my aunt Marilyn, and my uncle Robert (sniff!) While it wasn't quite the same without them, we thought of them lots & ate some extra stuffing & pie for them. ;) After everyone left, Keith, the girls, and I all laid on our bed and stared at the wall for a few minutes. We had some little snacks before the putting the girls to bed, and then it was down to business: looking over the Black Friday ads and watching "Christmas Vacation," as is our tradition on Thanksgiving night. It was a good way to end the day, and we just barely made it through the movie without dropping into bed exhausted!
The next morning, Mary and I headed out for our shopping trip at 6:45. We definitely decided that the advantage of stores opening even earlier this year (midnight for most places!) is that by the time we got there, most of the lines were very reasonable. I still made out with some good deals, and although Mary was bummed not to get some iPod speakers, we both mostly like just being out to celebrate the official start of Christmas--armed with our old-school Amy Grant Christmas albums. We also got our socks at the Fred Meyer sale, in spite of getting there a couple hours after they had opened--there were PLENTY to choose from.
We also went to the mall, and it was fun seeing the shoppers with their treasures, although not quite heading home yet...! The craziest places there were the shoe departments at Macy's and JC Penney's, where they had some good boot sales. The lines just to get a certain size were out of the department! Definitely not worth it to me. :)
Friday night Mary spent the night and we watched "Mixed Nuts," again barely making it before falling asleep on the couches. Haha. I guess that shows we're getting older...after all, I am nearing 30...
Anyway, Saturday we woke up more leisurely and headed to the annual Prairie Bazaar. Mary and I were laughing at the fact that when we were younger and just starting to shop on our own, we would spend half the day at that bazaar, wandering around & looking at every little thing, determining the perfect purchase we wanted to make with our few dollars of allowance or babysitting money. Now we can get through the whole thing in just over an hour, and that's including some "revisiting" time. It's very nostalgic and memorable to be back there, though, even if we only spend an hour there! :)
That was about it for our shopping, and then I had Melissa over for a Christmas tea (meaning, I put the tea in my Christmas teapot for the first time this year!) The rest of the day was spent relaxing and hanging out with Keith, since we hadn't really seen much of each other the previous couple days!
Today we had a restful afternoon after church this morning and a quick stop at New Seasons to check out their new location here in Vancouver! Exciting--it is a super fun place, and I can't wait to spend a little more time browsing their skincare & makeup area. :)
Most importantly of all of these activities, to me, is that the day after Thanksgiving starts the joyful anticipation and celebration of Christ's birth. I absolutely love the Christmas season, and I am so excited to be listening to non-stop Christmas music on both secular & Christian stations alike, as they all are playing songs about our Savior! What a joy to hear "O Holy Night" on stations that otherwise would not mention the Lord. It really is "the most wonderful time of the year!!" (That's my ringtone, of course.)
Merry Christmas!!
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