'Tis the Season

Christmas is here! I've always thought Christmas is a fabulous time of year and looked forward to beautifully decorating my own home someday.  A yummy smelling (REAL) evergreen, thick garland, twinkling lights, an elegant nativity scene, a shining star on top of the tree....all things that should be seen in the perfectly decorated home at Christmas.  I was really excited to decorate, and then realized this would not be the year for my decorating dreams.  

Our two dollar garland is anything but thick....

Our tiny tree is most definitely fake and adorned with a small ribbon bow (Thanks Mama Smith for letting us borrow the tree!)

 



We have yet to acquire a nativity set and our other decorations are well, few in numbers :)

                                                                          

While the majority of our decorations are borrowed this year and our little apartment isn't oozing Christmas out of every corner, I don't think I would change a thing.  I'm sure Mitch and I, in years to come, will look back fondly on our first Christmas and cherish far more than the silly decorations.  As for the present, I'm actually grateful for our humble decor.  In spite of their somewhat pathetic appearance, my decorations really do help me to remember the true meaning of this special holiday.  I don't need a giant wreath or shiny ornaments to know that my Savior was born in a stable in Bethlehem and forever changed the world.  A fresh cut tree and tinsel don't change the miraculous event of His birth or the perfect life that followed.  Above any other decoration in our home this year, how grateful I am for the spirit of Christmas that we enjoy!

Hooray for us! We've started our blog!

I guess we've finally decided to let the world (or at least the bit of it we are pleasured to know) take a peek at our lives.  We're excited to share our adventures with everyone and hope you have as much fun reading about them as we have living them...though we know this isn't very likely.  Here are a few highlights from the our last six months of happy married life...

Mitch was a very special visitor for some very speical students a few weeks ago.  He taught my sweet little first graders all about the brain.  He even led them in a rousing game of "My Brain Says."  They LOVED it!





                 

We had so much fun as Ninja Turtles on Halloween.  Wth two parties to attend (Ward and School) we got to swap colors and both have a stab at being "bad boy Raphael." I'm afraid Mitch is a little tougher than I.

We had a blast visiting San Diego.  We loved the beach, the Padre's game, and a trip to the beautiful San Diego temple.  Thanks Parker and Steph for a great time!



Family Reunion at Island Park.  We had a great time at the reunion though our grimy camping faces really weren't picture worthy.  We even got to spend a day at Yellowstone.  We thought the waterfalls were beautiful! Even better than Old Faithful in our opinion. 

 

And of course the most significant event......our WEDDING! Here are just a couple photos from the wedding day.  Can't believe it's been over six months! They say time flies, but I think our clocks have rocket boosters.