Before the turkey is carved and the silver bells begin to ring. Before families gather and Santa's list is looked over twice, we are the peak of that Holiday Hill. You know, that elated feeling of anticipation just before the roller coaster drops and the fun begins. Perhaps it will be the ride of your life or perhaps just a disappoint; either way, holidays are the busiest (and most commercialized) time of the year. But what better way to end a year than with family and celebration? I hope that we each coast back into our daily lives after New Year's with satisfaction. I don't know what this year has been like for you; good, bad, boring, life-changing. Whatever it has been, I pray that we don't let the busyness of the holidays, the pitter patter of excited little feet, the chattering of exhausted adults, or the shadow of St. Nick, get in the way of your reflection upon this year, upon the trues "reason for the season" and of truly enjoy every moment of its fleeting end.
For Halloween, Bennett played the role of cutest little monkey! He was so stinkin' adorable. I was his zookeeper - and Jeff's. Jeff dressed up in a big dog suit he found in the church storage. We sold our home in Woodland Park the last week in October and our home here was FINALLY (well sort of) finished and we closed on it last week! This has been the single most stressful move (at least for me) that I have gone through so far. It has just been crazy and the unpacking process is moving slowly. I also started work on my Masters degree the week before the move, but it's not like that is time consuming or anything... Ha! I am so glad to finally start settling in OK and especially excited about having our own home to set up for the holidays.
For my family and I, it has truly been a crazy, wonderful, stressful, life-changing year. I know we will always look back on 2013 as a year of good change. For us, it has been the exact opposite of the year 2011; a year that sometimes saddens me to look back on. So as we go into this holiday season, I plan to cherish my time with my family and friends. I'm looking down from the top of that coaster and I am just thrilled about the F's of the holidays! Family, Food, and Faith. And this year: Firsts! I'm excited for Bennett's first Thanksgiving with my crazy family and getting to share my favorite thanksgiving foods with him! And though he will probably cry when he sits in Santa's lap this year and try to pull all the ornaments off the tree, I can't wait to give him his first sugar cookie and to place his stocking on the mantle (our new mantle!). Christmas was always a magical time for me as a kid so I hope to make it just as fun for my children in the years to come.
For Halloween, Bennett played the role of cutest little monkey! He was so stinkin' adorable. I was his zookeeper - and Jeff's. Jeff dressed up in a big dog suit he found in the church storage. We sold our home in Woodland Park the last week in October and our home here was FINALLY (well sort of) finished and we closed on it last week! This has been the single most stressful move (at least for me) that I have gone through so far. It has just been crazy and the unpacking process is moving slowly. I also started work on my Masters degree the week before the move, but it's not like that is time consuming or anything... Ha! I am so glad to finally start settling in OK and especially excited about having our own home to set up for the holidays.