It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas

The Christmas festivities actually began in our ity bity apartment quite some time ago, even before Thanksgiving, I'll sheepishly admit. But we couldn't help it!! Our little $10 Amazon tree arrived and we couldn't help but pull it out of the box to admire the little wonder. Of course once it was out of the box, we just had to decorate it, and I'm glad we did. It was so fun to put up the decorations and lights with Darin. Our FIRST married Christmas! Our FIRST tree! Ooohhhh... so many FIRSTS. We have to enjoy them as much as we can right? I mean, you never hear people talk about their "7th Christmas!!"  or "4th Christmas tree!!"  My apologies go out to all who feel the need to throw up over these extremely, overly cutsie thoughts, but there is something special about the FIRSTS, and I plan to live em' up until they run out! Grab a bowl if you feel the need.

Putting the FIRST few ornaments on our FIRST ity bity precious Christmas tree. (Thanks mom for the ornaments!! We couldn't have done it without you!)

The finished product. She may not be a masterpiece, but we love her and it has been so fun to have her in our home this holiday season. Especially love the lights that Darin put around the living room, besides the fact that they have fallen down in that corner behind me a few times and tend to choke us when we walk out of the bedroom in the morning, but no harm done.

That was the beginning of our Christmas adventures, then just this Thursday night we drove up to Pocatello, Idaho to spend Christmas with Darin's family and got right to work on the decorations as soon as we arrived.

I really don't know. Just don't ask.

The finished product

And of course we couldn't finish off the evening without making some hot chocolate in our stellar hot chocolate maker (thanks Mom S.!!!). If you don't have one of these things, get one. The chocolate is so smooth, so silky, so so SOmuch like a rich lotion cream making it's way so effortlessly down your throat. It's great.

It's been a great holiday season thus far (minus the finals and end of semester projects/papers). In fact, last night we found one of those music, Christmas light houses. Definitely one of the highlights of this Christmas, those things are AWESOME.

I am super thankful for having such amazing family, on both sides of the country :), that take care of us and love us.  I am even more thankful for the knowledge that I have of our Saviors birth and of the perfect life that he led. I know that he lived and that he does still live today. He came to earth to save us all from our sins and errors and help us better the quality of our life as we follow him and search to know him better. I know that we can come to know him as we follow our living prophet today. I am so blessed to have this knowledge in my life and know that it is thanks to him and his love that I can feel so happy each day of my life.

Merry Christmas!!!!