Christmas with Inserts

Since the kids in our family are older we have started doing Christmas by picking names and then buying items for one person each year. We USED to keep this a secret, but by Christmas Eve my mom knew who everyone had and we were constantly guessing at who everyone else was shopping for. This year we decided to make the secret keeping a little easier by not making it a secret. :) I used to think I was good at secrets and surprises...I have learned in the year 2011 that I only like those things if I'm in on the secret or surprise. It drives me nuts not knowing things. (Coming soon, things I learned in 2011) So we drew names, I already had ideas for my mom so I put in a special request. The other names were chosen at random.

Insert: We have these pieces of paper with our names on them that we use to choose partners for games. We have dubbed them "The Fates". Even though I don't always agree with "The Fates", like putting Andrew and Mom together for Canasta three times in a row over the Christmas break, it is however the rules according to the law. We have also started using said "Fates" for things like picking our Not-So-Secret Santas.

And we're back. So they were chosen. I after being able to request my mother, "The Fates" decided to allow my mother to be my not-so-secret Santa as well. Yes, we had each other. What I found interesting about this Christmas though was that I was more excited to see my mom open her gifts than I was to open mine. I knew whatever my mom got me would be awesome but I hoped she liked mine because I really thought about each thing to get her. I think the best thing was, okay there were two things, first: the desk calendar I made for her. It had all of these quotes and life lessons that she's been saying to us our whole lives and then each child's birthday month was pictures of them. It was perfect. I even got pictures of Joey in there just in time to send it off. I made it on Shutterfly. I love making keep sakes like that!

The second one was a straw. Yes, a straw.

Insert 2: I think it was in high school when my mom started noticing the quality of straws. We'd go out to eat and we started rating the straw quality. Soon the whole family was on a quest to find the perfect disposable straw. (Camelbak straws do NOT count) She used to think McDonald's had a great straw and they were in the running for a while but then Costco straws came around. The family came to realize we had to rate the straw on more than the stamina, but width came in to play. So while McDonald's had the width Costco had the stamina. But both lacked the other. The search continued.

Christmas 2011 continued...While living in Lehi I did the unthinkable. I found the number 1 straw. I went out to eat with the sister missionaries at Emmet & Ethels (amazing burger joint) and there I found the straw. I quickly told the Sisters about our straw search and they agreed that it was pretty high quality. So I wrapped the straw up for my mom with a note.

She loved it! She wanted to frame it. I told her to use it and that we'd call the restaurant and ask where they got their straws from. I did call and ask a couple of days later. They thought I was crazy but obliged me and helped my find my answer. A company that sold only to restaurants. We will get the straws somehow but until them my mom loves it.

Then of course there is the traditional stories about what I received from my not so secret santa. Here's a couple pictures to describe the moments.

Dun-der Miff-lin...the People Person's Paper People!

GRITS: Girl Raised in the South...

HARRY POTTER 1-7 in paper back...ALL MY OWN!!!!

I was happy about everything I was given. I also got Sharpies...if anyone knows me they should know my love of Sharpies. Really a great Christmas.

I love Christmas on Sundays. I loved that while I was taking the Sacrament I could think: 'What I'm doing right now, this ordinance is the reason why Christ came to earth. We are partaking of the very reason for which Christ as born.' What a cool thing to realize and to be reminded of every week. 

Merry Christmas,

Arica

Redbox Chasin'

Life after college has been an education. I have been searching for a job all last week. It's been a good experience to see how the whole process works and how I can use my degree. The tough part is seeing how I can use my degree out east. I have known how to use my degree out west but didn't know it'd be so different in North Carolina. So the job search continues. I have an interview tomorrow for a part time job for an after school position, but I honestly don't feel right about it. I just think I'm meant to work with students with special needs, and that's what I really want to get into. There's a school here in Charlotte that does exactly what I want to do called the Cyzner Institute...and they are going to open a new classroom starting in January so I'm hoping things work out with that place.

In the mean time I've been the cook around the house. I recently made this really great recipe called Butternut Squash Soup. Check it out! I plan on making some New Years Chicken this week, which is basically sesame chicken but I'm going with the name my friend uses, and she gave me the recipe. I also did an overnight babysitting job this week. A couple with two boys (10 and 8), needed to go to a work Christmas party in Georgia! Yeah...Georgia. So I stayed the night and got them to school the next day. It was a lot of fun. The older boy really liked baseball so we got along great. He was playing a baseball video game and he decided to be the Redsox. It was awesome because I would tell him who was a really good hitter and stuff like that. He was a Redsox fan by the end of the night if he wasn't one before. :) It's sad because I know the team I love is changing in dramatic ways, but I won't get into that just now.

One more thing that keeps me occupied is our puppy: Joey Anne! :) We just call her Joey, but we want people to know that she's a girl. She looked like a little kangaroo at times...hince the name Joey. She is too cute. I just have to put a picture up.

I thought I'd just get annoyed with her because we have to worry about where she is all the time...but I just love her.

I've been attending the singles ward the last couple of weeks and I think I'm going to really enjoy going there. It's SO different than it was when I was there in the summers of 2007 and 2008. Everyone is pretty much married and new people have come in. But I've made a friend already and it's been fun to start fresh.

Coming home has actually been really amazing. Besides the fact that I have to job hunt, I've been having a great time. This weekend was a ton of fun because we were just sooo silly. Mom, Andrew, and I went around looking for the movie The Help at 5 different Redbox locations. We were determined to find it. Every where we went, it was gone. We were about to give up, but we remembered there was a blockbuster box at our local grocery store. My mom said, "Should we go?"
Andrew and I, "LET'S DO IT!"
We crossed the street and as we did, without rehearsal or word, we all rose our hands in the air and screamed in determination. And that's how the night started, we went from there and became more hilarious as the night went on. We did get to see The Help, on demand! It was more expensive but worth it, I knew that Mom and Andrew would love it.
The funny night carried over to the next day...I love when that happens.

Still Running,
Arica

The Last Leg of the Race

Friday: November 25

While many thousands of people were spending millions of dollars Ashleigh and I were on our way to the Manti temple. It's in the middle of the boonies but it's such a beautiful temple! We were able to enjoy the time in the temple and then we were going to go down to St. George for Cafe Rio and just to see the temple. But we decided we wanted to just get on the road. So we started on our trek home. We were on our way to Colorado when we stopped at a gas station (the only place to eat for miles and were starving) and Ashleigh saw an atlas by the cash register. 

Ashleigh: "Let's get that atlas..."

Arica: "They're always so expensive.."

*Arica picked it up and looked at it....$12. Hmm. 

This was probably the best idea Ashleigh could have had in that moment. We bought the atlas, turned off the gps,  and navigated out way across the country! It felt so COOL! I don't know why, I just felt like I could go anywhere because of that atlas! I will forever have an updated atlas in my car because of this trip. 

We made it to Texas in the first leg of the race. (That's my Amazing Race lingo coming out.) 

Saturday: November 26

We woke up early at 5am. It wasn't planned but we were both awake at that time and started talking so we decided to get and go. We drove through the rest of Texas and Louisiana, almost into Mississippi. We made good mileage that day but we were way tired.

Sunday: November 27

We woke up when we wanted to wake up whenever we wanted and started on the road. We didn't make it to where we wanted, which was Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I had a friend there that I thought we could stay with but it started raining and it was dark so we decided to stop in Mississippi. 

Monday: November 28

This is the DAY! We made it to North Carolina on this day...but it wasn't easy. It was raining the entire day, from Alabama to North Carolina. It was scary at times especially since we were just ready to be there already. This is what happened:

Yeah I was ready to be there. And we made it safe and sound! I tried to make it a secret that we made it home before my mom but I gave it away! She asked about ideas for dinner (pretending that we were still on the road) and I said, "oh we'll just talk about it when you get here." and she said, "Here? Where are you..YOU ARE HOME!" So it was no surprise but still a great night. We came home, went to dinner, came home and Ashleigh got engaged! She's officially getting married. 

It's a brand new chapter of my life and I'm ready to start it. I feel like I've had a lot of "new chapters" and I can't wait for more. :)

Always Running.

Arica