stockings.

Our little home is looking very Christmas..ee.

I made these stockings at Momma Donna's (Paul's mom) this weekend.

They are made of wool felt (Val, I hope you are proud).

I designed them myself, but based them off these stockings.. which Mindy's mantle is adorned with.

This pic is a little dark, but I did a tree for my nature-loving husband. He also insisted on a star.

I did a snowman, and took forever deciding on a background color.

As I was making it, I realized that my stocking that I've had for the last 22 years is red with a white snowman... funny!
The cuff was the trickiest part... and a pattern would have been helpful, but it worked out in the end.

Yay for stockings.

Yay for Christmas!

real excited.

Real excited for this tradition... Christmas Eve with the Shoells

Real excited for more time with this guy

Real excited for the Colts to go 14-0 after their win tonight.

(go Collie!)

College... Check.

As of 6:45 tonight, I am done with college.

I took my last test and it was over.

What now? Well, try to find a PR job in Provo, a seemingly impossible task, but I'll do what I can.

Then what? When Paul graduates in April (we're walking together), we will be heading off to graduate schools. We could end up anywhere from California to New Jersey.

When I started college, 4 years felt like an eternity. Luckily it only took me 3 1/2 due to AP Credits and short Major curriculum.

So even though I won't get my diploma until April when we walk at graduation it's about official as it can get.... I graduated from college!!!

what a day.

1) Our shower wouldn't turn on this morning- due to frozen pipes. On top of this, our sink has been leaking and flooding our bathroom.

2) Paul couldn't find his snowboarding gloves. We searched the house for an hour.

3) When Paul got to Sundance, our car was acting weird.

4) After getting the oil changed, an engine flush and various other remedies, we found out we probably have to get the clutch replaced... on the car we bought last summer.

5) Paul's computer has 64 viruses on it and crashed. (Finals start Monday, and all his notes for all his classes are on them). He now has to get his computer wiped clean, and hope for the best.

6) At the end of my shift today at Olive Garden, I was missing some cash (either stolen, wrong change, etc)... so I made $13.00 in 4 and a half hours. (And I was working my bum off the whole time.)

We were thinking life couldn't get much worse.

Then we went to our Ward Christmas party (something we would normally dread), and had a great time.

And I realized... when we were making up songs to the beat that the copy machine at our church was making as we made copies for the party... that it is really cool to be married, and have a best friend who understands what you are going through- since they are going through it too.

And life is good, even when everything around you seems to be broken or lost.

Even though I haven't showered since Wednesday night.

Have a Murray Christmas!

I remember one time my dad took me down to his golf course. He took me a lot on Sunday afternoons when he had to check the sprinker system. But this time there was snow on the ground.

This time we walked up the hill on the East side of the course.

That's where it was...

Since our city's name (Murray) sounds a lot like Merry (kind of), there was a big sign that says "Have A Murray Christmas" that sat up on that hill and for I-215 drivers to see.

And that year I got to plug it in.

Unfortunately, they don't put it up anymore. It's sitting in my dad's shop. But you can have a Murray Christmas anyway.

Since I don't have a picture of that sign, here is a cool picture Paul found on National Geographic's website.
And yes, it ate it. And no, it didn't die.

This also reminds me how one Christmas my family thought (because I kind of was) obsessed with frogs. I got frog pajamas complete with scrunchie, frog slippers and a frog giga pet. Actually, I think I bought the frog giga pet at Albertson's (RIP) and that's why they thought I loved frog's so much.
But I would let the thing die when it got to be a big frog because I thought the tadpole and baby frog were much cuter.
And yes... It's past 11 and I really want to go to sleep but Paul is writing a paper, and I just got done working on my campaign book, and even though I'm tired I really just hate going to bed alone, okay?