a december of living dangerously

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my cats getting in the Christmas tree. Soon after, I came home to this:

At that point, I was certain that I wouldn't decorate my tree. But then I remembered the angel.

My mom's cousin made this angel ornament for me when I was young, and ever since, I've believed it should go at the top of the tree. (My sister disagreed with me, and one year, we had probably our most epic fight ever about which angel should be the tree topper. I can't remember how we resolved it. But for as long as I've had my own tree, this angel has been on top.)

Once I had the angel out, I decided to put the ribbon on the tree ... and then something came over me, and I decided to decorate the whole tree!

I did put unbreakable ornaments at the bottom, and it's a good thing. Within 30 seconds of seeing the decorated tree for the first time, Hammond had pulled an ornament off.

Isis's favorite part of the tree is the nativity scene. This is the set we used when I was a child, so it has sentimental value even though most of the pieces aren't pretty. It's also pretty indestructible, which is a plus when you have cats around who enjoy chewing on things! Isis has taken a special liking to the shepherd (the one next to her nose). She's been known to pick it up and cart it around in her mouth.

I may be crazy ... but after nearly a week of having a decorated tree, we only have one ornament fatality (one of the glitter balls) and no injuries. Here's hoping we make it through the rest of the Christmas season unscathed!

mid-november holiday thoughts

I used to be one of those people who couldn't stand hearing Christmas music before Black Friday. I was of the opinion (as I'm sure some of you are) that Christmas music should be reserved for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I even blogged about it way back in 2007.

All that changed this year. In the week leading up to Halloween I was dying to listen to Christmas music ... so on November 1 I pulled out my Christmas music. Or at least I tried to. I know exactly where all of my Christmas cds were in my old house. But here? I can't find them anywhere! Fortunately, I'd copied all of my favorite albums into my iTunes, so I have them digitally...but I'd still really like to find my cds!

So here's why I think I was so anxious for Christmas music: The Hallmark Channel. The Hallmark Channel has always been my favorite destination for Christmas movies, but when I was cableless, I had to content myself with whatever Hallmark movies I could find to stream online or to buy (cheaply) on DVD. If you've been reading my blog recently, you know I now have cable and a DVR. (Yippee!!!) And this year, Hallmark decided that the Christmas season began on November 1. I'm not sure if they've done this in past years, but this year, they're running Christmas movies nearly 24/7. And they promoted this "Countdown to Christmas" all through October, so by the time November rolled around, I was more than ready to watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music!

Hallmark is premiering 12 new holiday movies this season, and I've watched all of them so far. (I say "holiday" movies because The Thanksgiving House is, obviously, about Thanksgiving. It stars Nebraska boy Justin Bruening and is a decent, if not enthralling, flick.) My favorite by far is the one I thought looked the cheesiest: Snow Bride. The title alone is ridiculous. But it's so much fun! Here's the promo video:


Is it the world's greatest film? Of course not! But it's certainly a lot of fun to watch ... and it doesn't hurt that Jordan Belfi is so attractive. (OK, it's probably the character "Ben" that I'm attracted to ...) If you missed it when it aired, you'll have ample opportunity to watch it before Christmas. Its next airing is next Thursday at 10/9 central, and I'm sure it will air multiple times after that.

While I've been enjoying listening to Christmas music at the office and watching Christmas movies at night, I must admit that I'm getting a little Christmased out. I even deleted several movies from my DVR without watching them. Perhaps once I get my decorations up, I'll feel more Christmasy ... but that's going to have to wait a while as I try to figure out how I can possibly have a Christmas tree with three crazy cats in the house!

Are you "doing" Christmas yet? Any advice for keeping my cats out of my Christmas tree?

"a christmas gift for rose" by tricia goyer

About the book (from Goodreads): Born in the midst of the hardships of The Great Depression, Rose grew up in Berlin, Ohio, in the arms of a loving Amish family. But as she prepares to marry, she's thrown into confusion when she learns the truth of her birth. She was born Englisch and abandoned when the family moved on in search of work.

Was she meant to be Amish or would she have been better off growing up with her own kind—Englischers? And was her intended's gift of discovering her birth family given out of love or fear?

My take: A Christmas Gift for Rose is a sweet novella that can be read in one evening. Set at the end of World War II, it tells the story of two people trying to find their way: Rose, an Amish woman who learns she was born Englisch, and Jonathan, the man Rose loves ... a man who broke Amish tradition by becoming a medic during the war. Rose struggles greatly with the newfound knowledge of her past; if she wasn't born Amish, can she really be Amish?

While Rose's anguish over her past and how that would inform her future got to me at times (and if she were a real friend of mine, we would have had a few heart-to-hearts about what makes a family), I thought her struggle seemed realistic. I can't imagine the tailspin you'd be thrown into if you learned as an adult that you had been adopted.

Jonathan is a man of great character—someone who listened to God at the risk of offending man and who was willing to sacrifice his happiness in order to help Rose find out who she was. His pursuit of Rose's heart is quite moving.

A beautiful hardback book, A Christmas Gift for Rose would be a great stocking stuffer for the fiction lover in your life. I also hope that someday it will be made into a film—wouldn't it fit perfectly into Hallmark's Christmas lineup?

My rating: 4 stars

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Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Goyer's The Memory Jar and The Promise Box (Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors), Remembering You, Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska (co-written with Ocieanna Fleiss), Chasing Mona Lisa (co-written with Mike Yorkey), Beside Still Waters and Along Wooded Paths (Big Sky), and By the Light of the Silvery Moon.

About the author: Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope.

A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites.

In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.

"a merry little christmas" by anita higman

About the book (provided by Litfuse): Fall in love with this cozy story about two people from different worlds.

Franny Martin is an Oklahoma farm girl who's preparing to spend the holidays alone...again. Then Charlie Landau shows up one day, all wealth and polish, and offers to buy Franny's farm. Franny has no money to speak of, but she is clever and spirited, and she's more than happy to sell the farm and move to the city.

As Sinatra croons from the radio and Christmas descends upon her charming farm, Franny teaches Charlie the curious and sometimes comical ways of country life. In the process, they unearth some discoveries of the heart-that sometimes love comes when you're least ready for it. Will the holidays bring their most impossible dreams within reach?

My take: As I read the first few chapters of A Merry Little Christmas, I kept thinking the story would make a great Hallmark Christmas movie. Soon I realized the plot was much more complex than the usual Hallmark film (and much more complex than the book description implies), as it contained racism, murder, and intense family issues.

There is much to like about A Merry Little Christmas. Franny is a very likable, spunky heroine, and her romance with Charlie is sweet. These days, I'm all about stories where "older" women find love! Also, I really enjoyed the subplots involving Charlie's brother and Franny's friend. But there were so many subplots that I had difficulty believing everything actually happened between the beginning of November and Christmas Eve. I also didn't think the resolution of the plot line involving Charlie's father rang true.

Despite my reservations, I did enjoy A Merry Little Christmas. It's a quick read with engaging characters. And while I don't usually mention the physical nature of the book in my reviews, I want to talk about this one. It's a hardback with the title debossed into the cover, and the dust jacket is embossed. It's a very attractive book that would make an excellent stocking stuffer. 3-1/2 stars.

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About the author: Best-selling and award-winning author Anita Higman has over thirty books published (several coauthored) for adults and children. She's been a Barnes & Noble "Author of the Month" for Houston and has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends.

Find out more about Anita at http://www.anitahigman.com.

About the giveaway: Author Anita Higman invites readers to kick off the season with a spirited holiday tale. Anita is spreading the Christmas cheer by giving away FIFTEEN COPIES of the book. To enter to win A Merry Little Christmas, just head over to THE CONTEST PAGE at Anita's website and fill out the short form. Be sure to put BLOG CONTEST in the Subject Line. That's it. Winners will be announced on the Litfuse blog (and notified by email) on 11/9.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

time for some christmas music!

'Tis the season for Christmas music. I love Christmas music, and sometimes I buy too much of it (kind of like how I buy too many Christmas movies). However, Amazon makes it easy to get my fill of Christmas music without breaking the bank, thanks to its $5 Christmas albums. In November, 100 Christmas albums were available for $5 each, but I didn't see anything that caught my fancy. Fast forward to this morning, when I looked at Amazon's $5 albums for December. Not only are two of my favorite Christmas albums (Michael W. Smith's It's a Wonderful Christmas and Amy Grant's Home for Christmas) on the list, but there is an album that made my inner giddy teenager come out, and I bought it as soon as I got home from work. Which album, you ask? *N Sync's Home for Christmas! I have wanted this album since I was 17. It has always hovered around $10, and I have a hard time justifying spending that much on music I only listen to 30 days out of the year. But $5? Totally worth it!

Check out the whole list of $5 Christmas albums. There's so much Christmas goodness here I hardly know where to begin! I recommend the following albums because I have (and love) them: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Vince Guaraldi Trio), Peace on Earth (Casting Crowns), What a Night! (Harry Connick, Jr.), Let It Snow Baby ... Let It Reindeer (Relient K), and Christmas Cheers (Straight No Chaser). But there's a ton of other good music out there, too—albums by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Avalon, Mandisa, and many more.

Mariah Carey's two Christmas albums, Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas II You, are some of my new favorites, and Merry Christmas is actually Amazon's mp3 Deal of the Day today. I know by the time most of you read this, it'll be tomorrow (or later), but sometimes Amazon's mp3 daily deals last a bit longer than a day. Merry Christmas is definitely worth your $3.99! (And yes, I know that Merry Christmas came out in 1994, so it's not exactly "new." I'd never listened to the whole thing until last year, so it's new to me!)

Also, be sure to check out Amazon's 25 Days of Free. Each day, a new free Christmas song is added to the list. Today's song is by Celtic Woman.

And just so you know, the Christmas album I'm dying to get this year is Michael Bublé's Christmas. But at $11.99, I'll just content myself with streaming it through Spotify for now!

What's your favorite Christmas album? Which one are you trying to rationalize buying this year ... or which one did you already buy?

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

My roommate moved out today. I'm sad to see her go, but I'm excited to see where God takes her over the next year. She's going on tour with the World Orphans Choir, and you can follow her adventures here. I normally would have decorated my house the day after Thanksgiving, but I decided to wait until today so she wouldn't have to deal with all my stuff while she was trying to pack. Tonight, Blendy came over to help me decorate. I'm quite pleased with the results!

I got my grandma's tree—it's definitely a step up from my old one!

This is the Nativity we had growing up. Obviously, the pieces didn't all come from the same set, but I still love it.

I finally got a wreath for my door! I moved out of my parents' house more than six years ago, and I'm just now getting a wreath.

I wish you could see the "Joy" better—it's my favorite Christmas decoration. This is in my living room.

No, my ceiling's not on fire ...

Now that my decorating is complete, I think I'll wrap some presents while watching a Christmas movie!

"baby, it's cold outside" by susan may warren

Dottie Morgan is preparing for another Christmas alone. Since her son Nelson's death during World War II, Dottie has kept everyone at arm's length. When a blizzard hits, four others find refuge at Dottie's house. As they weather the storm, past hurts will resurface, secrets will come to light, and love just may find its way back to Dottie's life.

My take: Baby, It's Cold Outside may take place during the Christmas season, but its message—of honesty, forgiveness, and surrender to God—is applicable year round. And the characters, oh the characters! Susan May Warren is a master of character development. Wounded and bitter Dottie, stubborn and faithful Gordy, lonely and vulnerable Violet, kind and resourceful Jake, and imaginative and energetic Artie all jump off the page. When I finished the book, I felt like I knew these characters, and I was sorry to be leaving them behind.

Baby, It's Cold Outside is a heartwarming, enjoyable book, and I give it five out of five stars.

Learn the story behind the novel, read an excerpt, buy it, and see what others are saying.

About the author: Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church. Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at www.susanmaywarren.com.

About the giveaway: Warm up to Chrismtas early this year with Susan May Warren's Baby, It's Cold Outside! To celebrate the release of her new Christmas book with Summerside Press, she and the publisher are giving away a Kindle Fire and hosting an early Christmas Party on Facebook!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One festive winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/26!

But, wait there’s more! Join Susan May Warren on 10/27 for merriment and a few early Christmas presents at her Baby, It's Cold Outside Christmas party! Grab your Christmas sweaters, socks and pj’s and join Susan and a few friends for a fireside chat about her recent books (Heiress and Baby, It’s Cold Outside), holiday traditions, favorite Christmas recipes, a trivia contest and more! Invite your friends and don’t miss the fun!

RSVP here and we'll see you on October 27th at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

k max is the only one left

It's official: I've now seen 2/3 of dc Talk.

On Wednesday I got a text from one of my friends asking if I wanted to go to the Newsboys concert. Sounds great, right? Well, the catch is that the concert was Thursday in a town nearly two hours away. Here was the deciding factor for me: Michael Tait, formerly of dc Talk, is now the Newsboys' lead singer. Sold.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I would pay big money to see dc Talk live. And while I've heard a few rumors, I don't think there are any real plans for a reunion tour. So until then, I'll have to content myself with whichever band member comes this way.

So, immediately after work on Thursday, Justin, Adair, and I piled into Adair's car and headed for Norfolk. It was totally worth it.

The show was actually Newsong's Christmas tour, which featured the Newsboys and Kerrie Roberts, a singer I'd never heard of before. It also featured a surprise performer, but I'll get to that later.

They started off with several Christmas songs. Honestly, I was more fascinated (or appalled) by the giant blow-up Santa and penguin on stage than I was by the songs. 

My least favorite number was "Little Drummer Boy," which too loud and cacophonous. All the groups were involved in the song, and it was just too much happening at once. (Perhaps the reason I hated it so much has to do with the fact that the Jars of Clay version, which is much more understated, is one of my favorite Christmas songs!) But then I saw him ... playing the violin (I couldn't hear him playing the violin because everything else was too loud) ... and I thought, Could it be? Is it he?

Sure enough--David Klinkenberg! When the guy from Newsong came out and introduced him, I think I may have stopped breathing. I grinned like a ninny through his whole song ("Toss the Feathers"). When he finished, a bunch of women stood up and cheered. Adair said, "Look at all his girl fans." And I thought, If I didn't have you on one side and Justin on the other, I'd totally be up cheering with them!

(And here's the point where I need to explain about Klinkenberg. I was just going to link to my other blogs about him, but they're on MySpace. In an attempt to get at them for you, I had to reset my MySpace password--it's been so long since I've been on that I couldn't even remember what it was! I guess that speaks to MySpace's irrelevancy in the age of Facebook. Anyway, I finally found the posts, but I can't figure out how to change my settings to make the blog public. If you happen to be MySpace friends with me, the posts are here and here. Basically, David Klinkenberg is my music crush. An excerpt from the blog:

In the evening we (Melissa and I) went to Norfolk for the Mark Schultz/Big Daddy Weave/David Klinkenberg concert. Two more Bible study people, Kevin and Melissa, joined us for the concert. It was amazing! I was a tad disappointed with how little David played (after all, he was the one I really wanted to see!), but overall, I can't complain. Mark Schultz is much less annoying in person than he is on the radio (sometimes, his slower songs just make me want to hurl), and parts of the concert were really like a worship service. It was wonderful.

We waited in the auditorium for about 10 minutes while people cleared out, then we headed to the vending area. Molly bought two of David's cd's, and she had just rejoined us right by the auditorium doors when she tapped me, looked off to her right, and said, "Should I ask for his autograph?" I followed her gaze . . . to David Kinkenberg, who was standing about 5 feet away! At this point, my brain pretty much turned to mush. I whirled back around to find Melissa. "Look behind you!" I hissed. She turned around and saw nothing special. "No, I mean look behind me!" Then he started walking toward us! It became obvious he was going to keep going, so Molly stopped him and asked if he would sign her cd. He said he would be back in a minute and walked away. I still couldn't even think. A little later, he came back to sign the cd. Then he thanked us for coming and walked away. Melissa said the whole time she was thinking, "Becky, SAY SOMETHING!" But I couldn't. It wasn't until we were back in the parking lot that it hit me--CAMERA! I'd had at least 3 minutes to get my camera out and then get a picture with him . . . and it never once crossed my mind! What's wrong with me???

I have to admit, he looks very young up close. Kevin said he looked 12, but it's not quite that bad . . . maybe 18 or 20. I'm not sure how old he really is, but I think he must be older than that. Anyway, it appears that my celeb crush is still intact . . .)

I briefly thought about trying to get a picture this time. Then I realized I didn't have my camera. Then I realized I had my phone, which has a camera. Then I realized I didn't want to act like a crazed fangirl when my only companions were boys. Had Melissa been there, though, she totally would have given me the courage!

As for the rest of the concert, I really enjoyed the Newsboys ... especially when they weren't doing Christmas music! They played "Something Beautiful" and "He Reigns" from previous albums and "Way Beyond Myself" and "Born Again" from the new album (which you know I love!). "He Reigns" wasn't that great. I wouldn't have believed you if you'd told me, since I completely prefer Tait to Peter Furler, but "He Reigns" wasn't as good without Furler's distinctive voice. "Born Again," though, was awesome!

Overall, it was a fun concert, and I'm glad I got to go! (Now, if we could just work on that dc Talk reunion tour ...)

a picture's worth ...

They say a picture's worth a thousand words. Since I haven't been writing much lately, I thought I'd throw up a few pictures to catch you up with my life!

I got Mom tickets to Straight No Chaser's Omaha concert for her birthday. As you can see, we were quite happy to be there! My favorite part was, surprisingly, this Lady Gaga medley.

In early October, my sisters and I ran/walked a 5K. The experience made me want to do another!

Thanks to a facebook friend, I've become obsessed with this bread. It's so easy and absolutely delicious!

In early November, I accompanied a group of students on a trip to DC. This is one of my favorite shots.

My cousin Shawna was on the trip, and I enjoyed spending time with her. Here we are outside Lee's Mansion in Arlington National Cemetery.

On the way home from DC, we stopped at the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, where I "got" to hold this snake. Pretty brave, if I do say so myself!

This picture serves two purposes: 1) To show off my new hair color. 2) To thank cousin Bethie for the Sleepy Monk coffee and Cannon Beach mug she brought me when she visited for Thanksgiving.

Yesterday, Blendy and her friend Janelle came over to help me decorate. Then we watched You've Got Mail while I wrapped all the presents I've bought so far.

thoughts from the couch

We're a week into the new year, and I haven't posted anything but book reviews for about two weeks. I have another book review finished, but I thought I'd give you a different kind of post first!

We are headed into our third snow day in a row. While we still call them "snow days," these days have been more like "wind and extreme cold days." I am so excited to be able to sleep in again tomorrow, and I'm hoping for Saturday's speech meet to be canceled, too!

Other things that have happened recently:

• I hosted a Holiday Bowl party where we watched the Huskers obliterate the Arizona Wildcats 33-0.

Janet shows off the easy chocolate cookies we made. She said she never bakes because it's too hard, and she was quite fascinated by my cake mix cook book.

Scott & Levi "throw the bones" ... or something like that! I believe it had to do with the defense.

• We finally made it to Kansas (minus Dad, who had to stay behind to make sure sidewalks were cleared for the beginning of school on Monday). We celebrated Christmas with Grandma, and she was feeling well and was in a great mood. 

Grandma inspects the family calendar we made for her. She loved looking at the pictures of her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids.

We had a great dinner and then watched a dvd of an interview done with my great-grandparents in the '90s.

Grandma & I pose with the yule log my uncle buys every year to go with our Christmas dinner. Because of our Christmas blizzard, he had to return to California before we could get to Kansas, so we had to eat the dessert without him.

In the evening, we went to Wichita--to Target (yay!), Panera (double yay!), and the Warren (triple yay!). We'd planned to see Avatar in 3-D, but it was sold out, so we saw Sherlock Holmes instead. It was okay, but I would have appreciated knowing that magic played so heavily into the plot before we went.

Mom savors her broccoli cheese soup. Why don't we have a Panera around here???

• Engagements abound! My cousin Jon just announced his engagement to Lauren. Not that he needs or wants my approval, but I give it completely :-) Lauren will be a great addition to our family!!! Also, dear friend and college roomie Jen just got engaged, and she's giving me the honor of being part of her special day! I couldn't be happier for her!

Jen and I were last together in October--I can't wait to see her again!

• I've done a lot of reading recently, and I've started reading my first Blogging for Books selection--Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris!!! You may recall that a few months ago I mentioned how excited I was about this book. I got so excited when I saw it was available through Blogging for Books! I started reading it in earnest today, and so far, it's excellent. I'm looking forward to reading more; look for the review the week of Jan. 18.
  

christmas in nebraska

My family always spends Christmas with my grandma in Kansas. Always. I can't remember ever spending Christmas Day at home, though we may have when I was very young. This year, though, we had no choice but to stay in Nebraska, due to a blizzard. That's right, a blizzard. I can't remember seeing snow this bad before.

My brother and sister-in-law came for our family Christmas on the 23rd. They left early in the morning on Christmas Eve because they had plans with her family for Christmas. We planned to leave for Kansas by 11 a.m., but because of the bitter cold conditions and the threat of more snow, my dad decided we should stay home and plan to go to Kansas on Saturday. We spent a fun day at my parents' house on Christmas Eve--playing Dutch Blitz, baking cookies, making pizza, and watching And Then There Were None. Then Janet (the international student who is staying with me over break) and I returned to my apartment, where we played with my new paraffin wax bath. (Thanks to Blendy and Val for giving it to me--now I can finally stop "hinting" about wanting one!)

This morning, we woke to lots of wind ... and lots of snow drifts! After looking outside, I decided we could probably make it to my parents' house. And we did--I just got stuck as I tried to pull in at their house! Dad came to the rescue and got my car pulled in--I got stuck with half my car still in the road!

We spent the day eating like kings, playing Dutch Blitz (and Blendy totally cheated--albeit accidentally!), waching my favorite movie ever, attempting to put together an insanely difficult puzzle, and playing a riotous game of Swap!

Dad drove me and Janet home around 10:30--and let me tell you, it really is a blizzard out there! We almost got stuck a couple of times, and we saw some insane drifts! 

This is the view from my front door--I know you can't see too much, but it was the best I could do tonight!

Now that we're home, I'll probably work on Christmas cards while we watch a movie. Janet wants to watch a thriller--I don't have many scary movies, so we'll see what we come up with!

All in all, this was one of the most fun Christmases I've spent. I guess it just goes to show that it's not where you are but who you're with that matters!