'Twas the Night Before Christmas

So quickly the season comes and goes, and I can't help but feel that I was standing on the sidelines for much of this one.  Christmas is still tomorrow, I know, but I have this strange detachment since I'm not at home wrapped up in the coziness and familiarity of my family.  I have my Washington family here, no doubt, but it's just never the same.  My sweet groom, however, has made Christmas so special for me; he never fails to cheer me up.  Last night he surprised me with tickets to the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker.  We got all dressed up and drove into Seattle for the most wonderful performance ever.  That was my Christmas.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wishing every moment that I was a ballerina.  The dancers floated on air, and the symphony moved me to tears.  In attendance there were many beautiful little girls dressed in their Christmas best, holding their mother's hands and tip-toeing like the ballerinas.   Little boys in suits and ties were equally adorable, and I imagined one day holding my own children's hands on our way to that magical show.  It was truly the perfect Christmas gift, and as we walked through the snow among white-twinkling trees through downtown Seattle, I couldn't help but feel that this was one of those sweet moments that Brandon and I will cherish when we think of our first Christmas together as husband and wife.  

Frolicking with Frosty

Snow Day!!!!

Brandon got home early from work and we got to go play!  It's a winter wonderland *sigh*

Christmas in Washington

T minus Eight Days

Woah....who decided Christmas is just a mere eight days away?  Look Jesus, I love 'ya, but can't we wait until April to celebrate your big day?  I mean folks really....how are we supposed to get it all done before next Thursday?  And here's a better question:  since when have we been required to not only deck the halls and bake figgy pudding but also send out Christmas cards, buy or make Christmas presents and wrap them, see at least two Christmas concerts, attend at least three Christmas parties, run around like animals last minute at the mall, go caroling to ungrateful neighbors, visit family and friends and eat like pigs, cook like it's nobody's business for days on end, and spread holiday cheer in the form of fudge?  Why is Christmas about what we're supposed to accomplish instead of how we're supposed to feel?  And let's face it ladies....the men are NOT stressing the way we are.  So this year I am kicking my feet up and forgetting Christmas presents, avoiding fudge at all costs, and leaving up the decorations that took forever to make until mid-March.  And don't expect your Christmas card until summer.  

A Real Christmas Letter

You know how everyone always sends out those cheese-tastic Christmas letters tucked neatly away into their glittery cards?  Usually I love them...I mean, come on, who doesn't want to know the cute little story of how the Smith children out-performed all the other elementary school kids on their aptitude tests and have made the honor roll for the billionth time in a row? And who doesn't want to know about all the fabulous vacations, new cars, and promotions the Joneses enjoyed this past year?  Indeed, Christmas just wouldn't be the same if it weren't for those letters reminding us all of how insignificant our lives are compared to others.  I decided to write my own Christmas letter to pack into our cards this year, and this is a little preview of how it goes:

"Merry Christmas one and all.  This year has been pretty wonderful, and of course we wanted to share with you all the fabulous events that we've enjoyed in the past months.  Like, for example, the fact that Brandon graduated from Med school and started his residency out in the lovely Washington state with his new bride, me.  Also, we wouldn't want you to forget that we enjoyed the most beautiful wedding in May, and now are nestled in newlywed bliss.  And of course you should know that Rachel is busying working on her Master's degree in marriage and family therapy.  However, instead of going into detail about all this we thought we'd spare you the 'same old same old' and let you in on some things that you may not know.  They are as follows:

1.  Brandon is a bed hog.

2. Rachel practices therapy she learns in school on Brandon, who somehow always sees through her ruse.

3. Brandon has taken up knitting in his spare time to ease the residency stress. Unfortunately, he is better at it than Rachel and she somewhat resents him for this.

4. Rachel has a liking for vintage clothing she'll never wear, and thus is not allowed to travel to parts of the Olympia antique district without Brandon as a chaperone.

5. Brandon is the envy of all the other interns because of the killer lunches his wife packs him, which is interesting because he protests getting the same thing every day.

6. Rachel has learned the ancient art of bread-making by hand and uses this talent to bribe her husband.

7. Brandon has learned that cuddling is less expensive than turning on the heater at night.

8. Brandon has also learned that turning on the heater at night means his wife might actually shave her legs. 

9. In her spare time Rachel has taken up sewing, quilting, digital scrap-booking, knitting, crocheting, and needlepoint - and has yet to finish one project.

10. Rachel and Brandon enjoy 'thrifty date night' in which they go to Barnes and Nobles and read for four hours, then leave the store without purchasing the book.  This date night continues until their respective books are completely read.

11. Brandon makes a mean french toast on the weekends, but it takes Rachel getting mean for him to actually make it.

12. Rachel loves Brandon's uniform.

13.  Brandon does NOT love Rachel's pink felt vintage dress.

14. 440 square feet is the perfect amount of apartment space for newlyweds, assuming you own nothing.

Well there you have it, that's our Christmas letter.  We hope this year finds you all swimming in wealth and material goods...oh yeah, and peace and joy and all that too!"

*For the record, I actually do like the letters and I hope I have not intimidated you into not sending me one.  I have only received one so far this year, and unfortunately it was one of those that made me gag in my mouth.  Hence why I wrote this post.  So for the rest of you, happy Christmas letter writing!

Jingle Them Bells

With the Christmas season in full swing, I have channeled my inner Martha Stewart and have been in a crafting hyperdrive.  I'm not making gifts, mind you...simply decking the halls with as much holiday cheer as I can muster.  I'll post pics as soon as everything is completed.  Meantime, my groom is off training to save lives in combat and I am training to save stitches in knitting what with all the unfinished scarves we have in our "to-do" basket.  What I should be doing is getting ahead on school work...but somehow the desire to do so evades me.  Instead I am busy sniffing Christmas tree needles and cinnamon pine cones as I awkwardly attempt to fashion them into a wreath.  (For the record, the wreath idea was quickly abandoned in favor of a swag, which also failed to actually resemble that which I was going for.) On that note, I think it is safe to say that there is nothing that smells more lovely than fresh Christmas trees.  Like my mother, I have inherited the deep appreciation of sticking tree clippings all over my house so the smell never goes away, and hence have greenery in all sorts of hard-to-reach places.  I can't wait until Brandon sees it all!