Christmas Catch-up, Part 1

To spare you the pain of reading one giant post, I've decided to divvy this up into segments. Although my previous post may have left you with the idea that Jon & I are not entirely happy with life here in Maryland so far, it does have one major benefit--an airport 35 minutes away. You don't realize what a blessing this is until you've made the 3 hour drive from Chicago to Davenport after a 3 hour flight from Arizona.

For anyone planning on flying cross-country, let me make a recommendation: do NOT fly Southwest. Not unless you want to be bored out of your mind for 4.5 hours and expected to survive off of a bag of peanuts, a Slim Jim and tiny breadsticks with fake cheese. There's a reason why Southwest is the cheapest airline, and sometimes it's just not worth it.

You know that song, "There's No Place like Home for the Holidays"? So true. I loved every minute of it. I did feel a little badly for Jon--it was his first Christmas away from his family since his mission. But he seemed to handle it very well. He entertained himself by playing a LOT of Xbox with Marah and Dad and by chasing our cat, Mulan, around the house and locking her in random closets for 3 hours during church.

I was able to catch up with my good friends while I was home. It's amazing how quickly life can change. Megan and Alicia are mommies, I'm married, and Hilary Ann is a fabulous RM heading to BYU-I. It was so great to see them, although I have to admit that seeing my best friends with babies is still a bit terrifying. Which is probably why I don't have one of my own.


My wonderful Dad turned 50 this year, although he is loathe to admit it. Since Jon & I weren't there for the actual celebration, we pulled off a second party for him when we got there. Please don't criticize the Corvette cake--I was working with limited materials since I'm brain-dead and left them at home. Dad was happy with it, and that's all that matters.

So the big present from us was a scrapbook (yes, you read that right) that I put together for him. I coerced my sisters, Mom, grandparents, aunts & uncles into providing me with various memories of my Dad throughout his life. I threw some old pictures in there and, ta da! "50 Years, 50 Memories." I thought it turned out quite well, although I will never, EVER scrapbook again. I don't have that kind of money, patience, or time. So appreciate it, Dad!

More to come (aren't you excited?)