Let it SNOW!!

Today I heard on the radio that North Dakota reached a record high for snowfall in December which was 33+ inches. We got 12 inches alone from last night until about 2:00 PM this afternoon. It was so fun watching it come down!! Snow is definitely not taken lightly out here!! Having our F-150 with four-wheel drive is AWESOME in this type of weather, given that we can drive through about anything!! The snow banks are SO tall! Although, one of the downfalls about all the snow out here is that there will be some amount of flooding in the spring. I captured a picture after work today to let you see our collection of snow....

 

Long Time NO Blog!!

Surprise, surprise!! I'm so not dedicated to blogging consistently, but hey I found time now and wanted to update some..... 

On Christmas Eve, Daniel spoke at our annual Christmas Eve service at church and he did a great job as usual!! Then afterwards Daniel and I had dinner at our dear friends/neighbors' house (the Dockter's) The night was filled with a few games of Yahtzee and just chatting for hours. It was so great to have that fellowship with them. They have been such a God send since we have been out here. This year was our first Christmas as a married couple and it was definitely different than what we each are used to for Christmas. Since we were away from family, we were both out of our norm. We missed family!! Yeah, Christmas still means so much with celebrating Christ's birth, but family is so important, too!! We made the most of it and enjoyed each other's company. And we did watch the Lutz clan open their gifts which was fun, too!! 

 I had work off Thursday and Friday, so that was AWESOME!!  We are hooked on NCIS and we watched a lot of those together. It felt good just relaxing!! I got a lot of organizing, cooking, and baking done with being home!! It felt so GOOD! I especially enjoyed the time spent with Daniel. We went to a movie and went out to dinner one night. It was definitely hard going back to work today!! Ugh! WE SURE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING TO MICHIGAN THIS WEEKEND TO CELEBRATE A BELATED CHRISTMAS WITH FAMILY!! We fly out 3:30 in the morning New Year's Day and stay until Sunday at 3:30 PM. We are going to have to savor every moment because we won't be coming back for a while....

I have been meaning to post some pictures of our place that we have been renting!! Let me just say that it has been such a blessing having this place to live. We have a dishwasher, washer/dryer, a fenced in back yard, two-car garage, and most of all we have our OWN place instead of sharing an apartment with others. It's amazing what a difference those things I listed make, especially since we went so long without them!! I also have to mention that we have the BEST neighbors, the Dockters!!  Its been a nice change. So here is a picture of our place....I tried to download others but it took way too long and I really didn't feel like waiting for them to download....so this will have to do for now.

Christmas MeMe!!

Yeah, so it's been quite a while since I have last blogged and I have had it in my mind to do one but just haven't taken the time to do it. So, my lovely mother-in-law has tagged me and has given me some motivation to finally make the time and effort to answer these fun Christmas questions. So ENJOY!! 

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate!

HOT CHOCOLATE by far!!!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

They are definitely wrapped AND under the tree.

3. Colored lights or white?

White! Daniel likes colored so we made a deal that we would switch between the two every other year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

No, we don't need it!!

5. When do you put up decorations?

Growing up my family put up decorations right after Thanksgiving. This year Daniel and I put the tree and stockings up the first snow which was Nov. 9. It was SOOO fun!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

I don't have one. I like about any food!!

7. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child?

Sleeping on the floor in my brothers room every Christmas Eve and waking up real early and waking my parents up to open presents.

8. Do you send Christmas cards/E-cards or both?

I will be sending a few Christmas cards this year.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Nope. We wait until Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

I put the lights on and Daniel and I both put each of our Christmas ornaments on while listening to Christmas music. It's so special this year being Daniel and my first Christmas as a married couple.

11. Snow! love it or dread it?

I would say I like it. Growing up I loved playing in it and making snowmen and all of that fun. I still like watching it come down and I especially love having a white Christmas. But once Spring gets closer I am ready for the snow to be done.

12. Can you ice skate?

Yes, I can and I love to. But I will say when Daniel and I were dating we went ice skating and I definitely fell straight on my face. We started to laugh so hard!! But I am thankful I didn't get hurt! That ice was pretty hard.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

No, nothing really comes to mind.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?

Being with Daniel and my family!!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Sugar cookies with frosting on them!! Mmmmm!!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve and reading about Christ's birth on Christmas morning.

17. What tops your Christmas tree?

Daniel and I don't have a topper yet but we plan on putting up a star soon.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

Both. But I especially LOVE to give!!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

O Holy Night

20. Candy canes?

You bet!! Yum.

21. What do you want for Christmas?

A have a list of a few things I want but most of all I want to enjoy the time with Daniel and family!!

22. Do you attend a Christmas party?

Actually I attended one this year with my work. We had a great time!! We had dinner at a local restaurant and hung out and talked for hours. 

23. Do you dress-up for Christmas Eve or Pj's.

Yes for Christmas Eve service!! I don't mind dressing up!

24. Do you own a Santa hat?

I used to but I don't have one anymore.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?

Before I was married I would spend Christmas day with my immediate family and then go to my grandparents house in the afternoon to spend it with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Then we would travel to Ohio the following weekend to spend it with my mom's side of the family. This year being married, we will probably be spending Christmas just us two and then fly home the next weekend to visit our family!!