Christmas

Our Christmas week has been busy. Peter's siblings have been staying at our house for the past week, and we have one week to go. It has been fun but a little too crowded at times. We got several new games for Christmas (Citadels, Fluxx, In a Pickle, and 5 Crowns), and we have really enjoyed learning how to play them all. Peter got me an electric toothbrush, and I got him a Clearplay DVD player. These DVD players allow you to edit the movies you watch to make them cleaner, so you don't have to hear the swearing or watch the violence or whatever. I think it's great.

The story of the DVD player:

Peter had been talking about how he really wanted this DVD player for a long time. I was intending to get it for him, but I told him his Christmas gift had a price limit that was well under the price of the DVD player because I didn't want him to know he was getting it. The day we went shopping for Christmas gifts, I asked Peter to give me a few options to choose from and to tell me which one he wanted the most. I already knew it would be the DVD player, but, again, I wanted him to be surprised. Once we were at the store, I reminded him that I had put a price limit on his gift. He had a little fit because it turned out that every single thing he wanted cost more than my price limit. So he was grumpy for our whole shopping trip, and I secretly bought the DVD player and then told him I got him a tie. (He wasn't thrilled.) I wrapped one of his old ties so he would think that was the gift I bought him, and put it under the tree. I hid the DVD player in the office and put it under the tree Christmas eve after Peter went to sleep so he would be surprised.

Christmas morning, Peter opened the DVD player and was so surprised. I don't think I've ever been able to surprise him with a gift he really wanted before. It was great!

Funerals.

This has been an eventful week. It was the last week of class, and finals are next week, with all the stress that entails.

In the past week, I attended 2 funerals. One was for Peter's uncle, Kirt, who died at 41 of a heart attack. He left behind several young kids and a wife to whom he had been married for just over a year (they got married the month after we did). During this funeral, I was so sad for Kirt's wife, kids, and parents. His death was totally unexpected and has been really hard for them all.

I also attended the funeral for my dad's cousin Maren. She died at 53 of heart failure. Maren had Down's Syndrome, and her death from heart failure has kind of been expected since she was born. She lived a wonderful life, accomplished a lot, touched many lives, and lived much, much, longer than people with Down's Syndrome usually do, or than she was expected to live. Her funeral was sad, but it was also happy. She had lots of frustration about not being able to accomplish everything she wanted to, and her family was happy that she is now free from her disability.

Both of these funerals were similar in that I was a family member, but didn't know the deceased very well. I wish I had known both of them better, and I look forward to meeting them again and getting to know them better in the next life.

My Favorite Christmas Carol

Today at church I was thinking about my favorite Christmas carol. It is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. I used to not particularly like this song, at least not more than any other Christmas song. However, the words of the 2nd verse are particularly meaningful to me, and that is why it is now my favorite Christmas carol of all. For those who have not known the words to the 2nd verse, I will post them here:

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace.
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild, He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn king.

I love this carol because it talks about the Savior's mission on earth. He came to earth to heal us and to let us live again. When I hear this song, I feel great joy because I remember that everyone can be healed, and I remember that we all will live again. This song brings joy and comfort to me all year round, and I hope that my drawing your attention to it will allow it to bring joy and comfort to you as well.

Should you care to respond, I would love to know which Christmas carol is your favorite, and why. :-)

3 year anniversary

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the day when Peter and I officially became a couple. I remember it only because it is December 7th, and when one of my roommates found out she said that now there was another reason that December 7 would live in infamy. (December 7 is also Pearl Harbor day, for those who have forgotten.)

So happy anniversary Peter! Thanks for the best 3 years of my life, and counting! I love you!

Thanksgiving and the Grand Canyon

For Thanksgiving, Peter and I drove with my sister Sara down to our aunt's house in Cottonwood, Arizona. Cottonwood is about an hour south of Flagstaff, for those of you who haven't heard of it. It was tons of fun. There were lots of people from the Black side of the family there, and my mom's sister and her husband came up from Phoenix as well. My cousin Aaron and his wife Nerissa announced that they are expecting their first baby in July, which was exciting to hear. We played lots of games and didn't go to sleep before midnight the whole weekend. I am now exhausted, but it was totally worth it. :-)

Aunt Liz and Eli, my cousin Brett's son.

On Saturday, Peter's mom, brother, sister, and sister's boyfriend drove down from Utah to visit the Grand Canyon. I visited the North Rim last summer, but I had never been to the South Rim. It was very beautiful to see. A highlight of the trip was our helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. I had never been in a helicopter before, and it was incredible. Flying was so much fun, and the view of the canyon was spectacular!!!

Here we all are in front of the helicopter.
A view from Peter's window.

Peter and the view.

Here I am!

The weekend was a blast. We love our family, and we are so happy we got to spend time with them!