Merry Christmas!

I can't believe that Christmas has already come and gone!
We had such a great time gearing up and preparing for everyone to come. It was our first Christmas together as a married couple, and although our 2 bedroom apartment is small we were able to cram 8 people in for Christmas day festivities.

Mom and Dad Young came out a few days before Christmas and we were able to bring them to some of our favorite places around San Diego.

22 December 2010- They arrived on one of the last days of the torrential rain storm that we were having and were able to witness the San Diego river flowing over one of our frequently travelled roads. There was a break in the rain so we decided to go up to Julian to take a stroll around the town and show them the ropes in apple pie and dumpling eating. Our trip was cut a bit short with the return of the rain and even some hail when we were up there, but we still had fun. Danny even found a sweet hat that he's been looking all over for!

23 December 2010- The rain finally stopped for good and we enjoyed some delicious sushi and a relaxing walk through Balboa Park. All Mom and Dad had ever seen of Balboa Park was in our wedding photos, so we decided to show them the park first hand. We even recreated a few of our original wedding photos...with a little twist.

That night Danny took off for the Pointsettia Bowl with a few friends and Mom, Dad, and I grabbed a few last minute gifts.

Christmas Eve!- Since San Diego has so many beautiful places to see we decided to get up and spend part of the day at Cabrillo National Monument. It's one of our favorite places because the views are incredible, and there are cool trails to walk.

After Cabrillo, we picked up the last few things we needed for our Christmas cooking and baking, and it was off to the races. I ended up preparing the Eggs Portugal and Baked French Toast Casserole, the day before so I could just throw them in the oven in the morning and I also made the Pumpkin Pie, and Pumpkin Roll the night before. I had never made a Pumpkin Pie before and I think I need to practice a bit more before next year.

Mom and Dad Carpenter arrived that evening and we all thought it would be cool to attend a Catholic Midnight Mass, so off we went to the Mission San Diego with both sets of parents and Julie. It was a different experience than we were used to but nonetheless, it was a good one. There was good Christmas music and many friendly people.

Christmas morning we woke up with excitement and saw that Santa had been there! There were tons of gifts and we were anxious for the Carpenters to arrived so we could begin the festivities. We started with the reading of our last Advent message which happened to be Luke 2. We grabbed a bite to eat of the yummy eggs portugal and baked french toast casserole, and began the gift opening. Everyone was very generous, and we were very blessed to get some cool things.

We also had a good time preparing for Christmas Dinner. Everyone chipped in, but this was the first Christmas Dinner that we have hosted in our home so it was a fun one for us. We had Ham, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, green bean casserole, rolls, and cottage cheese fruit salad. For dessert we had Apple pie from Julian, Pumpkin Pie that I butchered, and Pumpkin roll that I very much enjoyed.
Along with our Parents and Julie, we were able to have out neighbor and friend Susan join us for the feast.

Before the night was over, we had fun talking to family all over the country including Mark who is on his Mission in Pittsburgh PA, and we topped the night off with the movie, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". We actually played "The Newlywed Game" with Mom and Dad Young, Julie and Mike for the late night show and Danny and I claimed a commanding spot in last place. We are now contemplating couples counseling. haha

The day was a great success and we feel so blessed to have such great families to spend time with during the Christmas season. We are so glad that we have a special day to celebrate the birth of the Savior, and we are trying to keep the Spirit of Christmas with us as well as in our home year round.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Trimming the Tree!

 Usually in the past, I've tried to get a tree the day after Thanksgiving. It's been a fun tradition for me and it helps me to get excited and feel the spirit of Christmas. This year the fact that we were in Kentucky for Thanksgiving and didn't get home until Dec 1st put a small wrench in my usual plans of getting a tree the day after Thanksgiving. Although we weren't able to get our own tree, my itch to get one up as well as some other decorations, was satisfied as we were able to help Christy and Steve get some of Christmas garb up. Even though we left before it was all set up, their house looked amazing with lit wreaths in each window, a warm welcome to their house.

December 3rd, we set out in search of the perfect Christmas Tree. Danny had been working on some business stuff most of the afternoon in the Mission Valley Library, and I had been out running errands. When I returned to pick him up, we stumbled upon the Ikea Christmas Tree lot in the parking lot just next to the library. They were selling any type and size tree for $20! We ventured in and saw a cute family holding up a 10-12 ft tree they had just found for their house.
Within 5 steps of our arrival, we found a tree that had already been opened. We stood it up and saw the beautiful shape that it had. It looked like it would be perfect for our living room.  Danny wanted to get it right away without looking at any others but I felt like I'd be cheated of the whole tree picking experience if I didn't at least spend 10 min looking at trees. We cut a few more open, but came back to our original one. We tied that puppy up paid our $20 and carted our new tree home.
We set the tree up, gave it a well deserved drink and time for the branches to settle before we started decorating it on Dec 5th.
We got in some festive Christmas gear including our bobble Santa Headbands and started first with the lights. Luckily, both Danny and I agree that white lights are the only way to go. We chose to do more of a homemade theme for the tree this year with bright green being our main color. I made most of the ornaments out of felt and yarn, but we also managed to add a few elements from our wedding decor by adorning the tree in some of the ribbon we used on our wedding day. It worked perfectly since our theme for our tree included the same bright green as we used in our wedding.
We ended our tree decorating festivities by placing the star on top and having some hot cocoa. Danny got the pleasure of placing the star this year since I couldn't reach the top of the tree even when standing on a stool. Maybe I'll grow a little before next year.
It was a fun night decorating our first official tree as a married couple. We are excited for many more to come!