Catching up on Christmas.

The two crazies running around my parents' house the last few weeks--Amy and Ster's puppy, Dundee, on the left, and my mom and dad's puppy, Bailey, on the right.  They have WAAAAAAY too much fun together.

Christmas at home was GREAT!!  :)  Especially since I REALLY didn't know if I'd be able to head home for the holidays, it was that much better when I actually got there, even though it was definitely a short trip.

I had the opportunity to see someone who was REALLY important in my life from middle school and through high school, and it was SUCH a blessing!  I hadn't seen her since Christmastime my freshman year of college (she moved away in January of my senior year of high school, and she was visiting at the same time I was visiting the next Christmas), but it was like nothing had changed.  Anyway, my folks had run into her a week or so before (her band was playing at my dad's work Christmas party), and she asked about me, so my mom told her when I'd be home and she should give me a call.  Sure enough, she called me on Christmas Eve in the morning and we made plans to get together.  We spent a couple hours together and it was FANTASTIC!!  We just had a chance to go over to her house and she played some of her most recent music she's written (she's an incredible musician), and we sang together for awhile.  Then she convinced me to sing with her at the Episcopal church (she's hired to do music there) for their Christmas Eve service.

So my family went to church on Christmas Eve (Amy and I had to help out an old lady who was coughing and choking and stuff for about the first 20 minutes), then we had a super nice dinner at our house, then went over to my sister's in-laws' house for a bit.  Then my mom and I went to the Episcopal church so I could sing.  It was really nice.

Christmas morning we got up early to open presents and have breakfast, then Amy and Sterling had to head to SLC to catch a plane to Peru early the next morning.  It was GREAT to see them, even if it was a short visit.

The rest of the week was pretty chill.  We played a lot of MarioKart on the Wii (my gift to my parents), and we went and saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Valkyrie"--both excellent movies, if you're looking for a suggestion.  Then on Sunday I headed back to SLC to catch my flight back to Portland.  The journey home was an adventure, but I made it safe and sound after a long train ride and being rescued by a good friend from the train station.  So that was my Christmas break!  Fun times.

You already know Erik got me tickets to see "Wicked"--I also got an awesome new piece of luggage for my trip to Europe, some money to help with the trip, some fun froofy girl things--lots of fun, nice things.  It was, overall, a great Christmas trip to Utah!  :)

I LOVE my parents' Christmas tree!!  Every year since Amy and I were born, we've gotten a Hallmark ornament.  Sometimes they represent something important from the year, and sometimes they're part of a series we liked (my sister has like 18 puppies, or something like that), but we have LOADS of beautiful Christmas ornaments in our collection.  It's an awesome tradition that Amy and I will both continue with our own families.  :)