Melissa turns 30!

Savannah and Christina come for a visit!

WICKED

Ok. If anyone reading this blog has not been able to see WICKED yet. Wow! It is fantastic! David gave me tickets to the LA showing for Christmas. It was the best performance I honestly have ever seen! If you get the chance to go, pay the money and enjoy. Ok. Not the prices in Salt Lake! Last time I checked they were going for around $200. CRAZY! If they are under $100 - just pay it and you will not regret it! At least I didn't.

Malibu Beach

Ok. So for all of you that keep reminding me that I haven't updated my blog. Here goes. I have now successfully learned a new program. Well, the basics. It is a scrapbooking program that my mother gave me a year ago for my birthday. The only problem, I am not a PC user. I am an educator and we only have Macs. Well, I gave it back to her, hoping that they had a Mac version. No such luck. The copy of the program sat at my mom's house for a year. She never got around to downloading it to her computer.

Just a month ago, I realized - - wait a second - - I just married a PC user. So . . . I decided to try to merge the worlds of Mac and PC. I am now successfully using the program after a few VERY HELPFUL instructions from my sister, Christina. Hope you enjoy it!

Disneyland Fantasy Parade

David's Blog - Christmas Time

So, here are David's answers to the questions that were posed to me early. Check out an earlier blog for my answers.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I'm going to have to agree with my lovely wife. When I've got time wrap it, otherwise bag it.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
I only remember having a tree from the box although I've been told I was a participant in chopping down a tree and bringing it home. I must have been like 2.

3. When do you put up the tree?
I've helped put up the tree but never actually done it. On my mission we had a green lamp that was our tree. It was there when I got there and it was there when I left.

4. When do you take down the tree?
Um… it was there when I got there and it was there when I left.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I like it. Although straight it's a bit thick.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I was a child? How odd…. Um… That's a tough one. I don't remember what I got nearly as well as what I gave. My favroate gift I gave has a funny story. I went to my brother and asked him if I could have 5 dollars to buy his gift. He was understandably shocked. You want money from me to buy me a gift? Isn't that a little backwards? "But" I explained "you'll really like it. And I'm putting in 10$ of my own. I just need a little extra to get both." In the end he loaned me the money and I bought for him 2 Calvin and Hobbs books.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Right now my wife, I have a couple of idea that have transformed into presents but… well lets just say that I hope she likes them.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Jared my nephew, I know he wants a bionical. I hope I can find one he doesn't already have.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Nope? Maybe? I don't know. Does my wife's count as mine?

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Talking to people who aren't there by written form?? You can do that?!?

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
1 hyphenated word. Fruit-Cake.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Are we saying movies that we really like or just that make us happy because they remind us of Christmas /shrug either way here's a list

1. Scrooge

2. Nightmare Before Christmas

3. While You Were Sleeping

4 White Christmas


13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Depends on the year, This year I'm still in the middle of it and it's the 16^thof DEC.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Leftover turkey sandwich, made with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, cheese, on toast.

16. Lights on the tree?
Colored or white? Do I have to pick? I like both. I think the white is more elegant but the colored reminds me of the tree I grew up with. It's a more happy tree.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
God Rest ye merry gentlemen. Carol of the bells. Anything with good harmony and not too much vibrato or overly dramatic vocals.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Home. I have cookies. Really good ones. Although I am excited about Disneyland!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
No. Santa had to outsource after he picked up Asia, I lost track about the time of Pablo the reindeer.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Don't care.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
What my wife said. She's a smart one.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
It used to be for me the music. I worked in retail and the Christmas Music would start about October before Halloween. 3 Soul sucking months later, it would finally be over and we could go back to the normal mind numbing stuff. 10 hour days with 2 hours of music that cycled through? Let's just say if I ever meet the boy who saw mommy kissing Santa Claus that there may be a rather unfortunate incident. Most of the scars have healed now though. Hmmmm. I'm going to go with the mercantilism of Christmas. (I know I was a part of it at one point all the more reason)

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I really like crystal. Oooooh Rainbows through crystal

24. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! Oh wait… I'd likely shoot my eye out. I've got what I most wanted.

25. Who is most likely to respond to this?
Nobody. I'm sending it to my wife to get blogged and no one else. I'm selfish or lazy or something.

Wedding Pictures!

Okay. So I went to my sister's-in-law, Amy's, blog and stole a couple of photos from her blog to share here. Many of you are dying to see pictures from the wedding. Unfortunately, the photographer has all rights to his - - so I can't post those - - but I can borrow from family. Here they are.

David and Melissa at the luncheon
(day of the wedding).

At the reception.
David got tired of holding his eyes open. :)

David and I getting in a little extra dancing practice before the reception.











My new sisters! From left - - Amy, Becky, Elisabeth, and Sarah (front). Wow! I am lucky! They are wonderful and I am so blessed to be a part of their family. They have accepted me in with open arms. It is really fun to have more sisters.

Actually, it is funny - - I inherited 4 new sisters (5 with Caroline - Steven's wife) and one new brother - (2 with Cameron - Elisabeth's husband) AND David inherited the same amount - except opposite from my side. 4 brothers, 5 with my brother-in-law, 1 sister (2 with my sister-in-law). Funny!