Imaginative Dispostion, Creative Pleasures

Christmas Time!

Okay, now on to Christmas stuff. My parents drove over from South Carolina and my brother flew down from Utah to join Monte and I in Christmas festivities. It was wonderful see everyone again. I guess I just saw them at the wedding six months before, but I missed everyone sooo much already. If I had the money, I'd buy my brother house here so that he could come and stay.

We couldn't hang our stockings so they ended up on the floor this year. We told my brother that he had to use a very little stocking because we could not afford to buy another one, but then we surprised him Christmas morning when Santa magically switched his mini stocking for a really really big one. (The foot of which held a two liter root beer.)

We had a very nice Christmas morning opening gifts and laughing with each other. Monte and I made sure each person got something special from Texas. Like a cactus, jack-o-lope, tornado identification guide, or armadillo road kill to name a few.

And I think my parents enjoyed not having to clean up any of the mess this year. (I think unwrapping presents wore Jonathan out.)

We did other things with my family besides just gifts as well. We all went to see Light Row. It's a mile and half walk past lots and lots of Christmas light displays that Austin puts on over by the botanical gardens. We tried to make it to San Antonio too but because of a nasty cold that was going around we didn't end up leaving Austin. We did give my family a tour of the area but unfortunately I don't have any pictures of those days.

We ended up staying home and playing games most of the time. That and eating. Eating is always very good around the holidays. Here is the Christmas day meal that we made. The table, table cloth, china plates and serving dishes, and silverware were all wedding presents. I owe my grandparents for most of it. But it made a really nice table for our delicious meal.

Monte and I had had some roast wrapped around spinach and feta cheese once before from Whole Foods that we liked and so we tried to serve that for Christmas. They ended up only having pork wraps this time around so we tried those. And Monte got a pork wrap filled with apples and cherries instead of spinach and cheese since he is not a spinach lover.

I think I prefer the roast but my dad loves pork and thought they were wonderful. It was a really nice meal. My mom made so much of her wild rice, sausage, nuts, and cherries dish that we spent the next week trying to finish it all off. But it was delicious! So Monte and I did not mind that at all.

Alas, after a wonderful week it was time to say goodbye to my crazy family. My parents left Monday afternoon but my brother wasn't flying out till early Tuesday morning.

So, we took my brother out for a steak. We had promised him back when we found out that we would be moving to Texas that if he came to visit us we would buy him a good steak. The Texas Roadhouse seemed like an excellent choice. So Monte and Jonathan and myself headed over there Monday evening for one last hurrah with my little bro.

It was really great to be able to spend a little more time with him before he left. The hardest thing about getting married is having to move away from him. Sometimes I wonder why we are so close. Is it because we were born just a year apart from each other? Was it because there were no other siblings so we only had each other? Was it because are personalities mesh really well together? Or because we have a gospel perspective on things?

I don't know...maybe it's just everything combined, but I do feel like I got really really really lucky to have such a wonderful brother. (And that's all I'll say on that cause I'm sure this will embarrass him enough.)

But hey, it was a great dinner. And a great Christmas. And I really love the holidays!