We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

As we rang in the holidays this year, the season brought more memories, more laughter, and more blessings than I could ever imagine. Each year there are more and more things to be thankful for. God is so good. The same amount of people around the Christmas tree. Health and happiness. Tons of family time. New traditions. And so much more. I was sitting by our beautiful Christmas tree, one of our 5 cold, wintry days :-) and was reminiscing on what 2008 brought us. With the beginning of a new year, it always makes me wonder what we will embark on this year; what lies ahead of us. I never would have thought that when the clock struck midnight and it became the year 2008 that in a split second, dad would be in a horrible car accident, Mike and I would have bought our first beautiful home together, and I would be working from home. Life is interesting. A funny little thing.

Mike and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary! THREE years! We were talking and it feels like our wedding was so long ago. We are both so excited about growing old together. We have so many fun things ahead of us and as we sat at dinner, I looked across the table at this man that I married on December 17, 2005 and I just melted. He is so handsome and makes me feel so special. I love my husband to death. He is the most gentle, loving, kind, generous, and compassionate man. We enjoyed a delicious dinner laughing, talking, and getting all giddy inside. No matter how long we have been married, my heart still flutters and my stomach still gets butterflies. That is what love is all about. I cherish our time together. He will scratch my back for hours, he brings me coffee in bed, he surprises me with little goodies, he writes the sweetest notes. He is truly one of a kind. We love making each other feel special. We were talking over dinner and laughing at how many inside jokes we have-the kind that when you say or do them others look at you like you are crazy but we look at each other and love our silly and goofy sides. We talked about what the three years has brought us and how God is so wonderful and glorious. We planned where we would be on our 5 year anniversary- BANFF! We talked about adding to our family-that's a secret and we are so excited! :-) So, needless to say, three years later, I am more in love with my husband and more crazy about him than ever.

This year, I shopped right up to Christmas Eve. I love searching for those perfect gifts for each person. I love shopping anyway and when you add the Christmas music, decor, and holiday Starbucks cups, I'm a gonner! hehe Meag and I hit the malls and boutiques almost daily with a coffee in hand. As we decorated for Christmas this year, we bought a new tree and lots of new ornaments, new items for the mantle, and this was our first year to be able to put out Christmas lights! The Christmas lights is a whole different story but short and sweet, our house is so tall and the roof is to steep that you need a 40 ft ladder to decorate with lights. We don't have a 40 ft. ladder just lying around. So, some of our house (the part Mike could reach) had lights. They looked gorgeous though! Next year we will just end up hiring someone to do them. Mike on the roof made me a nervous wreck. And of course we have our traditions that have been going on since I was a wee baby. Our traditions mean so much to all of our family so each year we try to start something new. Meag loves being a part of that! She gets so excited and you can see the wheels start turning in her mind on what to create and start next. She cracks me up. Then she will say, "Mommy, we are doing this again aren't we?" and to her it is a tradition so by golly we are absolutely going to do it again. Meag and I bought Mike an IPhone for Christmas and he was absolutely shocked! He is so excited and we knew, being the teckie that he is, he would love it! Meag gave me the most beautiful necklace and a Polar watch that I had been wanting to track calories, heart rate, etc. She is so thoughtful! Meag got so many wonderful things. The new Ipod Nano (it was engraved, too), a beautiful dollhouse, clothes, this cool fashion designer thing, shoes, jewelry, gift cards, money, movies, makeup, Barbie stuff, Gourmet Cupcake Maker, purses, I mean the girl got everything. And well-deserved. :-) She left the cutest notes and homemade gifts under the tree for Mike and I. It just makes my heart melt. The most precious handwriting and time and effort put into these special gifts-telling us how much she loves us and wants to stay home forever and how much we mean to her. Such a joy to Mike and I. I just love her so much. She is my sweet little girl and is growing up so fast. But don't get me started or I will cry.

Well, here we are and a new year is here! I can't believe that it is 2009. New Year's resolutions? Yep! Sharing? Nope! :-) I feel like sometimes if I share I jinx myself. So, at the end of the year we will see how many I have accomplished!

I hope everyone was surrounded by laughter, joy, peace, and family this Christmas season. Happy New Year!

xo-Nat