the stockings were hung at the chimney with care

.home. 

Christmas Vacation. I feel like it barely started and now its half over. I have had a wonderful vacation so far doing all kinds of wonderful things and I love it!

I left on Friday the 17th with Shari and met up with Hadley and Ariele for lunch at Zupas, once there we had to say all of our goodbyes...Thank goodness we could share the amazing panini's and soup first cause WOW so good! I think those may have made separation a little easier. Kidding it was still super tough to say goodbye.

I spent the first few days of vacation with my utah family, Megan, Marynell, Rhiannan and Nedrick. What a blast! we had tons of fun going back and forth all over the place trying to get all of our shopping done! But we did take the time to go and get pictures with Santa, I don't have a copy otherwise I would post it up here for everyone to see. Its super cute! We each sat on dear old Santas lap and asked him for each of our treasured secret gifts. The thing that would make all of our dreams come true! I didn't catch what Rhiannan asked for but I imagine it had something to do with toys. Marynell asked for a baby bouncer for one of her dolls, probably her Haitian baby...(its a little baby doll she adopted and named Haitian right after the earthquake.)That left only me so I asked for Santa to please please please bring me the perfect man! Santa told me that just as soon as he found him, he would send him off to my doorstep with a bow on his head. Well it's Christmas and I don't see any perfect men milling about in my driveway...I wonder if Santa sent him to my Utah address...In any case I think Santa must have forgotten or just couldn't find him for me. Oh well better luck next year! 

curious? story to come. please read on.

Finally it was the day that I would be flying off to Oregon to see my parents and all of my friends that I had missed since this summer, I was excited and totally brim full of trepidation. It's always scary to go home after being away for so long. I had my suitcase all packed the night before and I had gone to bed a bundle of nerves. When I woke up I rolled out of bed ready for the day and promptly rolled right back in after doubling over with a stabbing stomach ache. I felt AWFUL! I could barely stand and all of my limbs felt like they were going to stiffen up and quit moving, and don't even let me get started on the nausea...What an awful way to start my journey to Oregon. So I composed myself and forced myself out of bed, I couldn't cancel my flight so I had to just go. When I got to the airport I spent most of the time hugging my tummy and trying to figure out how I was going to survive the flight. I never did figure that out...When I finally found my seat after getting on the plane basically all of my worst nightmares were revealed. That super attractive guy that you just stare at and drool over that you never speak too but dream about every day for the rest of your life just happened to be sitting next to me along with two of his buddies that rivaled his attractiveness. And super sexy me was gripping a barf bag like my very life depended on it. I spent the entire flight either gripping that bag breathing deeply and looking like I was going to die or I was sprinting for the bathroom. It really was the worst flight I have ever been on. The poor flight attendants thought I was dying of food poisoning. When we finally landed in Portland that super sexy man of my dreams turned to me with a smile and I prepared myself for some super intelligent quip from a sultry sexy deep voice. I looked up at him with doe eyes (only made so because of the sickness I was under) pale and willing to fall into his arms if only he would ask. I was at the mercy of this man willing him to hold me and comfort me through my sickness. He spoke:

" So uh could you hurry and get up so I can get off the plane, my girlfriend is waiting..."

All I could think to reply was: 

"wha...? ummm yeah? ok..ok sorry uh yeah"

So not only was he a super disappointing jerk but I was too out of it to come back with a scathing remark that would put him in his place. Ugh Failure.

I met my parents at the end of the terminal, found my bags and promptly fell into a mini coma in the backseat of the car. I woke only to prop myself up in a taco bell while my parents ate then fell back into it until I got home. Once there my coma continued through the next morning. 

I spent the next couple of days with my family and my friends. 

I got to spend a wonderful night at my friend Melissa's house where we had a sleepover and watched movies into the night. I spent the next few days with Megan and we went all over the place, from Hebo to P.C to Lincoln City to Newport. We spent alot of time on the Bayfront checking out the shops and waiting for her boyfriend richard to get off of work (he works on a crabbing boat.) 

It took us forever to get all of our Christmas shopping done but finally everything was wrapped and ready for the upcoming day. Megan and I even made cookies and took a ton of fun pictures in preparation.

Christmas came today with little fan fare. It was a quiet morning, dad watching some show on T.V. Mom preparing the turkey. It was pretty low key. We sat and read books and waited for the rest of the family to show up. Derrick and Yutani got off of work at about the same time as Colt and Courtney arrived. Then Chaos set in. What a happy raucous we can make when we are all together. Colt brought his new black lab puppy Max and he had a hearty time rough housing with my parents chocolate lab Buddy. We all gathered around the tree and opened our presents. My parents made it out with the most I think, which is a pleasant switch from what it was always like as children. I got the most beautiful Opal ring from my parents. I LOVE IT! 

I positively love spending time with my family, we have no personal bubbles at all, we were pulling things off of each others plates, sharing our drinks with each other, laughing while tossing tidbits to the dogs. I wish it didn't take holidays like this to get us together. The only person that we were missing was Casey. I wish he could have been there with us, it would have made the holiday so much better. But he is off in the middle east supporting our country. Which I think is an amazing thing to be doing and I look up to him and respect him so much for that kind of selflessness. and I miss him terribly too. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!