Blessings

I write to you today, sitting in the Sea-Tac airport, awaiting my return flight to Fresno, listening to Amy Grant's Christmas Album...one that never gets old, reflecting on the past week.  (To you in the great Northwest, I am sorry that I did not tell most of you that I would be in town, but it was a quick 48 hours in Seattle. I will be back in January and will see you then!)
In the past week, I have turned another year older.  I am now 24. What better way to spend the day than with friends, another trip down Christmas Tree Lane, and good food.  It was a splendid day.  There are a few goofy thoughts that come with being 24 for me. Let me explain:
-next year I will be a quarter of a century old. Thanks dad for telling me.
-I am now the age I will be when I get married. 
-I am the age I will be when I graduate college for the 2nd time. 
-I'm almost a grown-up.  I beg to differ, but mom says June 23 I am officially a grown-up.  Weird! 
Another accomplishment for me in the past week is that I took my last final exam ever...EVER! I can hardly believe it, I know, I know, I have an exit exam next semester and that should count but for me, I say it doesn't. I won't be sitting in a classroom writing an essay or filling out a scantron; it doesn't count. 
As of December 19, my dear friends Daniel & Anukina Garrison have now been married for 2 years.  I was blessed to be apart of their wedding and I continue to be blessed to have them in my life as well as Greg's.  Congrats you two!
Being a crafty girl and doing something that I have been wanting to do from pinterest.  I will show you a picture later, but if I disclose the picture at this point, I will be showing someone their Christmas gift, and I just couldn't do that!
Lastly, I have returned to my first home.  I am continuously corrected when I say, "I am going home." which home does that mean? I know I have shared with you before my love for both places, although for polar opposite reasons.  I have my home in Lakewood; the house I grew up in and my parents still live, where I sleep in MY room and have precious memories overwhelm me each time I come back, where my baby piano resides and I get goosebumps all over again each time I play it, as if it was the first time in all over again.  I also have my Fresno home; where I (with the help of many others) have made an ugly salmon pink condo adorable and perfect for us, where I have the privilege of living with my sister and Makenna, where I have begun my own traditions and made more unforgettable memories. So, as I said, I returned to my first home Thursday morning.  
I flew inThursday morning with my mom meeting me at the airport. We spent the day in Seattle looking at bridal shops, Pike Place trinkets, windows shopping, and simply browsing the streets.  We then headed to University Village to continue our wandering day.  We found great stuff, Christmas presents, and possibly the place settings for my future home with Greg (I need his approval before I can tell you what they are).  The evening concluded at The Keg.  I am fairly certain I have blogged about this spectacular restaurant before, but it was the perfect evening of dinner with my parents, good food, and great laughs (even a few snorts).  I got to hear the other details I had yet to hear about how the ring was picked and all the sneaky stuff I didn't realize was happening. It was priceless.  
Alright, but flight is boarding now, so I will have to tell you about yesterday at a later time.  All I can say is I am blessed by the people around me in both Fresno, Lakewood and many cities in between.  Have a Very Merry Christmas Eve.  God Bless you and your family on this special weekend.

Christmas Joys

As I posted last week, it is the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, and if it wasn’t last week, it certainly is now.  I wanted to take this moment to share with you a few of my favorite moments of this hustle and bustle.

During this time, I love…

-walking down Christmas Tree Lane with my dear friends and my fiancé.  This was the 4^th year Greg and I have walked the lane together.  4 years ago we walked down the lane and Greg asked me if we could have “the DTR talk.”  Following this, he had to explain that DTR means to ‘Define the Relationship’ where he explained that he wanted to date me.  Now we walked the lane talking about our wedding.

-driving to see family, even if it means hours in the car.

-cheering my parents on from afar while they are opening a new grocery store tomorrow.

-Starbucks Christmas Blend each morning.

-driving spontaneously to locations far away in search of blessing those that have blessed us with Christmas gifts.

-putting the lights and bright colored ornaments on the tree with Lisa and Makenna.

-driving through neighborhoods, randomly taking the long way home, to look at houses with Greg; both their lights and the houses themselves, dreaming of our house to someday decorate together.

-getting packages of cookies in the mail and devouring them quickly.

-finding the perfect gift for someone and wanting so badly for them to have it that I almost can’t wait until Christmas for them to open it.

-wearing scarves!

-getting close to Greg’s family; my soon to be family.

-hanging Christmas lights on our house.

-sitting by the fire and reading a good book…I can do this now, since I don’t have school books to read.

-baking Christmas goods; pumpkin, German, and chocolate alike.

-spending extra time in my PJ’s simply because I can.

Are you enjoying your Christmas hustle and bustle?  I hope you are.  I know this crazy season is easy to get wrapped up in the dizziness of the times.  Remember the craziness is not all that counts….

Hustle and Bustle

School is drawing to a close, Christmas hustle and bustle is nearly in full chaos, decisions are being made, and life is flying by. These are my reasons for not posting. I apologize. My semester is nearly finished and I will be able to blog the way I wish to blog.

I first want to share with you my wonderful Thanksgiving. I was blessed to spend Thanksgiving with Greg's family...nearly my family. His family tradition is to go to Santa Barbara and attend a horse show. For the Hessler family...I apologize for any terms that are incorrect...I will learn, promise. Greg's sister, niece, and nephew, show English Riding and his family all goes to watch. Both Taylor and Logan did very well in their showing riding their own horses; Bravada, Jeff, and Gabby. I was amazed at their abilities...far better and far more brave than I would be on a horse.

On Thursday evening after the show finished for the day, we had dinner with the other families, stables, and riders from the show. What great fun! I will admit, my line dancing skills have greatly improved. Hehe.

Also, my baking skills have apparently improved as well. I made Pumpkin Spice cupcakes to take with me. Thank you dear Amy for giving me the recipe. These a the best cupcakes that I have ever made in my life! (I made them again for the volunteers on Wednesday night and they were still as amazing as they were the first time). Yum!

Unfortunately, we had to head back to Fresno Friday morning since it was the busiest day in the retail world and Greg works at Eddie Bauer. We left at 5am and right around 6 I had a keen sense and found Starbucks and Chevron in the same exit...sounds easy, I know, but in the middle of nowhere, not so easy.

Needless to say, it was a great time with many more to come. This was just the beginning of the seasonal adventures. Ready or not, here we go!