Random Updates

Hey everyone! I'm still here! It's been a crazy week, and I had hoped to post some pictures of our Christmas celebration, but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. Just wanted to update you all on our Christmas week:

We had a lovely, restful Christmas Eve day. We played games with the kids, and then attended a nearly local church for their Christmas Eve service, since our pastor was gone and our church didn't have a service. It was nice and I was happy to be at home this year. We returned home from the service, with plans to put the kids to bed and watch my FAVORITE Christmas movie, Irving Berlin's White Christmas. I had DVR'd it from the weekend and we settled in to enjoy the music and the storyline. However, the cable station, in an attempt to squeeze it into a 2 hour time slot and still allow for ample commercials, cut an embarrassingly large amount of the storyline and the musical numbers! I was so disappointed! I guess you know what I will be asking for next year . . . my own DVD copy of the original movie.

Christmas day was nice also, but I felt like I was in the kitchen most of the time. We had a lovely family meal, though, and enjoyed some quiet time that evening also. The kids loved their presents, with Elijah's favorite being his new wooden train set and Alli really enjoying the food for her kitchen and the shopping cart to carry it all in.

The next 2 days were a crazy mix of laundry, packing for another trip, and a sick 3 year old. It made for a stressful stretch for me, and so I relished some quiet time that Dan and I got together in MN on Friday, when we went to IKEA by the Mall of America. I love the store, and it was Dan's first visit, but he was inspired also. Sooner or later we will finish our basement and we have a thousand ideas of how to decorate now!

The rest of Dan's family joined us all at his parent's house that evening and we enjoyed our tradition of soup for supper, opening presents and then appetizers and cookies afterwards.

One highlight was being able to finally meet face-to-face, my fellow blogging friend, Karen. Her husband grew up in the same church as my husband and we both were at the church on Sunday morning. Although our plan to get coffee together didn't work out, it was great to talk to her in person and we have plans to meet again. I didn't have my camera (we were in church, after all) so I don't have any great pics of our smiling faces together. We'll plan for that next time!

We left Sunday night to return home. About an hour and a half into our trip we witnessed a car from the northbound lane flip end over end and land in our lane about a half a mile in front of us. We were the first on the scene and I called 911 while Dan jumped out to help. The car landed on the hood and slid across traffic, but amazingly, no other cars were involved. By my estimation, since the hood of the driver's side was crushed to the steering wheel, he should have been seriously hurt, but both passengers emerged from the car and seemed alright, only a few cuts and the look of utter shock on their faces. After the police arrived, Dan hopped back into the car and we went on our way. Snow started falling an hour or so later, and we saw many more vehicles in the ditch, so it was another reminder to take our time and to drive slowly. It was also another reminder that life is short, and it can be over in an instant.

We made it home safely, obviously, and are working today to get ready for a little New Year's Eve get-together that we are hosting tonight. Hopefully I will be on top of things and be able to post pictures sooner than later!

Hope you all have a great New Year and I'll be back here regularly soon!