2 Birthdays

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!!!

Mine was pretty good. :)

It started out just about the same as it always does... people groggily stumbling down the stairs for our annual picture on the staircase.

My Grandparents came out to watch us open presents.

...And yes, despite the fact that we had to leave a couple waffles out for Santa because we didn't have time to make cookies, he still came. ;)

...And as far as the presents go, I didn't do too bad this year. ;) (THANKS EVERYONE!)

I got the coolest leather-bound Bible, NKJV, with silver pages (this is what it looks like from the outside...)

A couple of my favorite movies ("Sherlock Holmes," and "27 Dresses."), 5 new diaries to indulge my writing addiction, and this little baby riiiight here:

It's amazing. :D

Also... Kyla got me this for my Secret Santa gift:

I totally love her music the more I listen to her. :D Her voice is so cool!

Ok, my bragging is over with. :D

After present-opening we had a HUUUUGE brunch, and then we went to my grandparents' house. :)

And my mom's cousin James came to visit, too.

...and, as the title suggested, our family celebrated 2 birthdays yesterday.

I think you can guess who the first person's birthday was... ;)

But the second birthday was my sister, Karissa's.

She turned FIFTEEN yesterday. O_o I still find that really weird, since I still vividly remember this:

Also, it seemed like yesterday *I* was fifteen. Pretty soon I'll be all old, covered in wrinkles and sitting in a creaky old rocking chair in some retirement home, fighting with my roommate over a game of checkers........

But I'm getting ahead of myself. :P

She had a good birthday. :) She got her greenbean casserole for dinner (her favorite), and...

She got a cellphone.

I'm not sure, but I think she likes it... ;)

So yeah. Christmas/Karissa's birthday= Awesome. :D

Also... If you've made it to the end of this post, I commend you. :P

^Those cheeks. O_O

Christmas must be something more...

Christmas is only 2 days away!!! I'm so excited!

Have you ever noticed that Christmas day is caught in a time warp? For me, Christmas is always the same: I wake up exhausted due to lack of sleep the night before to all my sisters excitedly waiting for my parents to get up, we take our annual picture on the staircase, tear into presents, have a HUGE dinner, visit with grandparents, read books by the fireplace... <3

It doesn't matter what else has changed in your life and how old you are... around Christmas time every reverts to 8 year olds. :) Everyone tosses and turns in their beds on Christmas Eve, parents and kids alike can't wait to get a tree, drink hot chocolate, go sledding (I know I'd be excited to go sledding... if we had snow where I live...) :P And at 17, I still try to feel up my presents to see if I can guess what it is.

It's that kind of joy and excitement that makes people wonder what Christmas really means. There are some people who like to go all out with big decorations, presents, Santa, etc. There are other people who have a better appreciation for Christmas, but pay more attention to what the movies tell us about the "True meaning of Christmas": "Christmas means something different to everybody." "Christmas is about giving." "Christmas is about loving the people around you and being with family." "Christmas is about what's in your heart...." Whereas some of these are *close*, they're missing a very important mark. They're missing the source.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." ~Isaiah 9:6-7

It's because of Jesus that Christmas is so amazing. He was put on this earth to die for our sins, giving us the ultimate Christmas gift: A relationship with our creator. It's from this we can be giving and loving during Christmas. If we have Him in our heart, then the feeling of Christmas follows (it may sound a bit cheesy, but it's TRUE!) :)

But... yeah. :) In the next couple of days I'll be addressing cards, hanging out with family and pondering what's in that strange box under the tree... so I probably won't blog 'till after Christmas. ;) Until then, everyone have an amazing Christmas!