DECEMBER!

Yes! Its FINALLY here!!! December to me means:

1. COOLER WEATHER. can i get an AMEN?

2. Lights, lights, lights!

3. Christmas trees, sparkling ornaments, fires, candy canes and hot chocolate.

4. Family and Traditions

5. My Relief Society Christmas Program is in 5 DAYS. can i just PLEASE get it over with!??!

6. We'll get to see Jace's parents for the first time (in person) in over a year.

7. 12 Dates of Christmas is starting back up! 

8. Christmas movies and music GALORE and I'm allowed to watch/listen to as much as I want and no one can give me ANY grief about it!

LOVE IT. 

1st Date of Christmas coming soon!

Ending in Gratitude:

November is over. 

What the heck!?!

It went by SO fast!

I'm so happy that i chose to do gratitude blogging this month.

Its pushed me to blog/write in my journal, and 

it also helped me really reflect on my MANY MANY blessings.

So, lets conclude this month of gratitude:

Day 26:

I'm grateful for TEMPLES and the ability to have a temple DOWN THE STREET from me. I'm grateful for our eternal marriage and our future eternal family and the joy that comes from knowing that I'm with my sweetheart...FOREVER. (also, i'm pretty lucky--the Snowflake temple is just 20 minutes away from my cabin as well!)

(Mesa, Arizona Temple)

(Snowflake, Arizona Temple)

(Christmas Lights 2009)

(Christmas Lights 2010)

 (3rd Anniversary 2012)

Day 27:

I'm grateful for Jace's family. I am so much different from them personality wise, and so sometimes I feel out of place, or that I don't necessarily fit in, but they are good people and I love them.

Day 28:

I'm grateful for Arizona and its beautiful weather! I am so blessed to be living here and to have grown up here. I know this ends up being one of people's destination places because of the nice weather (most) of the year. (Yes, the months June-August/September are brutal, but you guys...its 80 degrees today)

Day 29:

I'm grateful for my education. I was blessed enough to go through 4 years of college,
and then blessed to go to cosmetology school.

Day 30:

I'm grateful for kind words, inspiring words, a comforting hug, a knowing smile, 

and a listening ear from all those around me.

Christmas Prep

Did you guys participate in Black "Friday" (technically it was black Thursday this year)?? Or how about Cyber Monday?

Gotta be honest... I've NEVER been a black Friday shopper. I like my sleep, i dislike long lines, and crazy people. For real.

So after work Friday afternoon, i had to run errands anyways and went out. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.

Since we don't have kids (or extra cash just for the heck of it) we really didn't have anything that we NEEDED. (or heck--WANTED.)

But i will say this.

As of today here is my list for Christmas:

Jace: DONE (except for stocking stuffers)

Mom/Dad: (mostly done)

Mom/Pop: DONE

Jen/Ken: DONE

Jeff/Melanie: DONE

Joe: DONE

Grace: DONE

Corbin: (in progress)

Alyssandra: DONE

Jane: DONE

Baby Boy 1: (in progress)

Baby Boy 2: (in progress)

Its a good thing too that I have most of it done. Time keeps slipping away from me it seems.

I blinked and it was Thanksgiving.

How did that happen?!

Now that I have that taken care of, I'm gonna spend the next two days decorating my house, and then I'm going to need to focus on my Relief Society's Christmas Program...

Dec. 6th will be here faster than I can imagine! 

Continuing in Gratitude...

Day 21:

Hot Chocolate, Big Mugs, and Yummy Treats!

Day 22:

Having a fireplace of our own and actually USING it!

Day 23:

Decorating for Christmas!!! with my new Michael Buble CD playing in the background!

Day 24:

Grateful for our beautiful nieces and nephew (SOON to be nephews!)

Day 25:

My wedding ring and the love and commitment that it represents.

In my expert opinion...

I've discussed this with MANY people...and its been decided that as a whole, people are divided into

 2 sides:

PEPSI people VS. COKE people.

My family is VERY one way. I grew up drinking Pepsi in my bottles for heavens sake! (thanks dad!)

I've only ever seen Jace's family buy coke for the one brother-in-law...

I've had coke multiple time through my life...

and i tried again today...

and in my expert opinion, I've come to the conclusion...

THAT COKE STINKS! 

its too sweet. 

blah.

I'm gonna stick with my Pepsi. 

Grateful for:

Thanksgiving is drawing closer and the end of November will be here before you know it!

Time is moving too fast for me.

Alas, keeping up with my grateful days:

Day 16:

Good friends all through jr. high, high school, and college. (Katie, Troy, and Emily) In this picture its me, 

troy, and Emily while Katie was taking the picture. All three were in my wedding party. I was invited into Emily's and i'm one of Katie's matrons of honor.

Day 17:

I had bad teeth. Not horrible, or gross by any means, but i had multiple things wrong with my smile. My grandpa graciously paid for my 2 years of braces and i'm FOREVER grateful for the beautiful smile i now have.

Day 18:

Jace and I were in charge of Family Home Evening this month for both extended families (Hunts and Wights) We did something different for each family, but focused on our blessings and gratitude for both. 

Day 19:

Ever since i turned 16 my hair has decided it wants to change me into a brunette. I have always been a natural blonde, and i'm grateful for the chemistry and bleach used to help keep me that way as I'm getting older. I'm also grateful to have the money to get my hair done.

Day 20:

I'm grateful for laughter. I'm grateful for fishy faces which produce alot of laughter in my family.

Why?

Why do the Holiday's not only seem to be able to bring out the ugly in situations, but also seem to create MAJOR stress?

Is it too much to ask to have a stress free Holiday season?

Jace has come to hate Christmas.

I'm ALWAYS super sick---from stress---and then it LINGERS for like 2 months.

I love my family, and i love their traditions.

I married into a family that love their traditions as well.

I have been trying my best every year to make it work where we celebrate equally with our families WHILE trying to create new traditions for me and jace and our future family.

Its chaotic. Its sometimes painful. Its always stressful. And no matter what, SOMEONE is always feeling like they got the short end of the stick.

And I'm sick of it! Any advice for people who live in the same area as both sets of families? How do you make it work?