Christmas Week

Last week was a flutter of basketball games, cookie making and present wrapping. I love this time of year! Wrapping presents is definitely one of my favorites, and coming up with surprises for Jeff are the best!

The only real damper on last week's festivities was the fact that we didn't get the Yaris because the guy trying to sell it to us was an idiote, pardon my French. I really feel like he was just being a meanie, because he tried to make us pay more than he was advertising the car for and then tried to sell some of his older cars to us. (Which we didn't want and told him so.) They still have it up on KSL, so I doubt they've sold it. We might try to go to the auction and buy it there. They're hoping for $7500 for it, but it's not guaranteed.

Anyway, the car hunt is still on. Joie de vie.

This week I made amazing cookies! They're called Florentines and they're an Italian cookie made from chopped up almonds, honey, orange zest, sugar and cream. Sooooo good! And so pretty, too! When made right, they look like lace. And you drizzle chocolate over the top. Simply divine!

You know what else is wonderful? Reading all day. I haven't done that in so long! Jeff bought me a Nook for Christmas, and I'm loving it. I've been reading "Little Women" all day. It's so relaxing to sit and read. And this book is great! I should have read it a long time ago. When I was younger, I thought it would be boring and use a ton of old fashioned language that I couldn't understand. I liked the movie, but I wanted to leave it at that. I'm half way through now and can't get enough!

Christmas was great this year. For the first time in a long time I didn't worry about anything on Christmas. (Last year I was worried Jeff was going to come home and decide he didn't want to be dating anymore or that he wanted a break.) I've started appreciating being with family a lot more, I think. I loved being with my aunts and crazy uncles and cousins. I love the big fire in the fireplace and snuggling up on a beanbag with a cup of slush.

We also got to talk to Brian, Jeff's brother on a mission in Ohio. It was good to hear him and listen to his brothers talking about their Spanish missions. lol. Then we video chatted with everybody later. :) It was probably one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

I got some pretty fun things that morning from my family, including a beautiful book of wedding pictures from my sisters. The funnest part, though, was waking Will up early and waking Jeff up and getting all excited about Christmas morning. The rest of the kids were party poopers and wouldn't sleep in the basement with everybody, so I just had to get excited with Will all by myself.

My siblings are funny... When I was little, (and even when I was in my early teens...well, pretty much my whole life) I got so excited about Christmas. I'd wake up at 3 a.m. and not really go back to sleep. I think they've all had the excitement beaten out of them somehow. Even Will groaned and told me to let him sleep until Dad came and got us. Crazy kid! I only woke him up half an hour before. I guess when my dad said, "We're not starting before 7 a.m.," he was talking to me and no one else. : / Wierdies... Oh, well. Someday I'll hopefully have children who get as excited as I do. Then I'll have loads of fun. :)

And do you know what's awesome? I get a New Year's kiss this year. :) Never had one of those before. lol.