Christmas and its multipe Eves...

So, I promised that I would do a little bit of blogging about my Christmas break... Let me begin with a question - Have you ever spent the entirety of a break running yourself ragged to the extent that you were exhausted and it didn't feel much like a break at all? Well, this was the first break I did NOT do that - haha!

I spend every break I get planning activities with my family and friends that consume every day then stay up late watching movies or listening to music and get little sleep. This was almost EVERY day of EVERY break, and it was awesome, but exhausting to say the least. This Christmas break of 2008 was phenomenal in that it was the first break I spent sleeping and taking each day when it came. I made very few plans prior to the day I was currently experiencing. I planned to go up to Bountiful to visit with old friend at one point and I planned out my New Years Eve for the most part, but that was it... It was the most relaxing and rejuvenating break of my life and I came back to work yesterday feeling rested and ready to work! A lot of "R" words in that.... Rejuvenating, relaxing, rested, ready... Just a random recognition.... Recognition - "R!" Okay.... I'm done... Really. :)

SO, break was fabulous and semi-uneventful. Perhaps this was partially due to the fact some days were spent snowed in up on the mountain. I know we aren't that far up on the mountain in difference from the freeway, but it is enough to make the freeway accessible and our roads very much NOT accessible. Therefore, I spent many days inside watching movies, playing games, and cooking with my family. I also had a lot of time to play piano (I got a new movie themed piano book for Christmas, too!) and sing. It was fabulous - amazing, actually! I mean, we had fun, but who know that resting and not planning each moment of your day could be so fun?! I did not... Haha! Not that I am in anyway saying that this will be a regularr assurance - I still have this weekend planned to a "T." However, there will now be a few weekends here and there where nothing is planned and I will take each hour as t comes.... Love it! Haha...

Now, Christmas Eve really is worth writing about... Haha! My family did Christmas that night because Derek and Cami were flying to Michigan the next morning and we wanted to do it all with them. Christmas Eve is usually the big part of the holiday anyway for us... We read the Christmas story/watch "Joy To the World," play name that tune with Christmas songs (Me and Cami were on a team and we got ONE right this year... I have NEVER done so badly - haha!), do the big-deal meal (holiday finger foods!), and open the gifts from the "yearly family gag-game." The last part became a tradition three years ago and Christmas has NEVER been the same - haha!

The "gag-game" is when my parents find random gifts or random assortments of gifts to give us with clues to figure out what they are prior to the game.... The first year it was random gifts from DI with poems to determine what they were. Last year was a bunch of gifts in a box with correlating scriptures to determine what they were and who they were to belong too.... This year my parents filled a trash bag with a bunch of numbered, RANDOM things (aka: junk from around the house) and gave us movie quotes with each item. We kept what we got, but could trade at the end if we wanted too and we had to tell what the item was before we opened it. It was hilarious when we started opening plastic forks, random canned goods, a pair of tights, chopsticks, candy, tissues, water bottles, hot sauce, little books, old cassette tapes, weird stuff, etc. Yea - it was a good laugh! I will post some pics from the past few years because each year has been wonderfully hilarious in its own way.

Well, we opened ALL our gifts other than our stocking after the "gag-game" because we wanted Derek and Cami there. It was a lot of fun, and in all honesty we usually open "only one gift" on Christmas Eve each year... Though each year since I have been in college Derek and I have talked dad into "just one more... one more... one more!," until they are all open EVERY Christmas Eve. Haha! We're so sly... :) I love that! I think it's good too though cause then we aren't so focused on presents on the actual Christmas day during dinner and family time... It's a good separation... I want to make the two really separate I think.... I mean, when I have a family I was thinking I might wanna do all the secular stuff and spiritual stuff on separate days - Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We'll see! :)

Anyway, break was amazingly wonderful! Brooke, my bestie from HS came to visit me the week before Christmas and that was awesome too... It was nice to show her where I went to college and have her meet some of my good friends. I wish she had come when finals weren't going on at BYU so it would be a bit more fun and interactive, as it usually is, but it was still really good to have her here. It's great to me that I have been lucky enough to still maintain some of my friendships from High School, because some people don't talk to anyone from High School after their college friends have really set places in their lives. I still have a few friends from HS that I keep in touch with and it's different, but special and a good feeling...

The pics below & to the side are me and Brooke on campus by the bookstore and Naked Indian Statue - haha! Gotta love campus!

Then, this is us in our matching Twilight shows before catching a late night showing! Love it!

Another thought before I end this with some amazing pics from break - I spent a lot of time with Derek and Cami and even had a sleep over at there place... I think I might have to post the videos we made because the night I was there (night before Christmas Eve) they exchanged stockings and Cami was given (from Derek, of course) these blow up balloon rockets that make high pitch screaming noises when they "go off." Imagine, if you can - and I know y'all who know them can, Cami going CRAZY with laughter and clapping like a five year old when they would go off. Haha!!! It was the most hilarious thing that I have ever have seen and I have it on tape... It would be the most amazing YouTube video of your life.... Yep. I had BETTER post it on here - for posterity and record keeping purposes, of course! :) ENJOY!

This is Cami and I freaking out over the ONE point that we got during name that tune... It's okay - we've SO have this next year...

This is Derek and Daddy-O... bonding... Haha! It actually was him quoting, "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear... ( my dad's shirt was fuzzy) Fuzzy Wuzzy has no hair!" (& my dad is blad...) Yea. We spread real love in this family! :)


The Mama - Reading off quotes for our family "Gag-Game!" Haha!

This is SUCH a classic shot of my mom!





Also, on this side we have Natalie (or, Nattie-Baby, as I call her) holding one of the gag-gifts - a geode - actually kinda cool!




A cute picture of Derek and Cami - two of my BEST friends in the WHOLE world! :)




This is me and Cami in our blingin' new jackets we got from Derek... Haha! Pretty much were are dressed like B-Money (Provo's Rapper) and I am in love with that... I seriously wear that jacket everyday I can...

I hope break was fabulous for everyone... Remember, take time to do nothing sometimes... It is a wonderful gift to yourself... :)

Cami and the Amazing Rocket Balloon! Enjoy!
*muah*