Christmas Decorations

This year I decorated my house using my now 28 nativities - Marcie and Christopher gave me #28 - thanks.

Here are a few pictures of the decorations that I thought turned out well.

I like this picture a lot.

The first few days, seeing Santa and playing at the mall

I got to Houston on the 18th at 10:00pm after leaving Missouri at 6:50am - it was a very long trip made longer because of bad weather.  When I got here Mama was not doing well so I got to finish up some shopping and errands for her and then help wrap lots of presents and get things ready for Cyndi and her family to come.  Saturday Beth and I went to the temple and then shopping for food and things we needed as last minute presents.

Sunday I taught sharing time for Mama and then Shelly's family and Asia and Aurora came over to celebrate Daddy's birthday.

Monday we went to the Woodlands mall and saw Santa, rode the carousal and then played in the indoor play area. 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't a very good Santa and the pictures didn't turn out great and I missed Nathan and Mandy.  Here is Aurora thought of the whole thing - seems to me she didn't care with her thumb in her mouth.

Cyndi's boys were shy and it took a while to get any shot at all.

Michael and Aurora were so cute in the play place.

Later everyone went out to Rudy's for dinner and over to Asia's to check out her new house.

Tuesday Mama, Mandy and I went to Cypress so that Mama could go to the Chiropractors.  Mandy and I went to Wal-Mart to print a picture I had taken of her and Nathan for Mama for Christmas.  Then we went to HEB and bought food for Christmas Eve and Day.  That night was Girl's Night Out, we had a lot of fun but I didn't take my camera so I will have to get pictures from someone else. 

Christmas Letter

I sent this to most people but wanted to get it on the blog for anyone that didn't receive one.

Merry Christmas 2008 

Merry Christmas! I hope that this letter finds you and your family happy and healthy. For me Christmas time is always full of wonder, excitement and anticipation and this year is no different for me. I am in awe of a Savior who came to earth and lived among men. I love the opportunity to celebrate, contemplate and witness of His birth. I love the excitement and joy that seems to come into the lives of all during this time and the service and love that is extended sometimes by strangers. The spirit of Christ seems to radiate from others, what a blessing to us all.

This year has been busy for me like all of you. As 2008 started I began my preparation for my comprehensive exams in my PhD program. The journey and things learned along the way will never be forgotten. Just before the semester ended I proposed my dissertation and will begin work on my research at the beginning of 2009. I have been blessed with opportunities to teach, conduct research, and serve others while providing for me needs. I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life each and every month and I am so grateful.

This summer my family had an incredible family reunion in Nauvoo, IL. Everyone except Ben, my brother-in-law who is currently working in Iraq, was in attendance and we had a wonderful time. All 31 of us were able to see the sights, have a great FHE, attend the pageant and most importantly we were able to seal Joy Turpin to our family! What a wonderful week.

In August my friend Dallas and I took a trip to South Dakota. It was a great trip, we saw Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument, numerous national parks, etc. I loved the beauty and peace of the land and got to hang out for a week with a great friend.

In the coming year I will start a full-time position with the School of Nursing at the University of Missouri in January 2009. I will be running a research study until August 2010. In addition to working I will be finishing my PhD program and working on a Masters of Public Health (yes another degree J ). I am excited about this opportunity and the anticipation of finishing my PhD.

Each year as I read other people’s Christmas letters I am in awe of how blessed my friends and family are. What a blessing it is in my life to have so many wonderful and faithful people that surround me. I am so excited to spend Christmas this year in Houston with my family (we will miss Bob and his family) and the joy we have being together. I am excited about the recent additions to our family and the anticipated little ones that will come to our family soon, it truly is great to be an aunt.

May the Lord bless you, may you feel the Spirit of the Lord in your life, may you be blessed with the joy this season brings.

 

Have a Very Merry Christmas and make 2009 a wonderful year!

Update

Well it has been a while and I have been so busy that I couldn't write. Last weekend I went to Houston to see my niece Jessica AnnTurpin be baptized. I flew in on Friday and Beth picked me up and we went and got dinner and then drove to the farm and hung out - after she left I fell into bed at 1am. Nathan and Mandy came and got me up about 8:30 the next morning and we had a fun day. We played football, soccer and walked around the farm, helped Daddy to cut up some of the remaining trees from Ike and then were off to the baptism. I don't have any pictures because Mama was taking them but I will post them later when I get them.

The baptism went well and then we went to the Turpins to have a celebration dinner for Jess. Becca's birthday was the day before (she is now officially a teenager - scary! :) ) . I am so proud of Jessi for making this important decision and being so excited about being baptized!

Monday we went to Rudy's to eat lunch and then we went to Shelly's to make gingerbread house with the girls, after we went and saw Asia's beautiful new house! The houses came out nice and I stayed the night with Shelly's family - we went caroling for FHE and had a fun time.

Tuesday morning dawned very early - 4:20 to be exact - I had to be at the airport at 5:20. Shelly and Lizzy were nice enough to take me to the airport. Thanks! What was supposed to be a 5 hour trip became a 13 hour trip because of weather and I was very happy to be home.

Wednesday I got up and went and gave finals! Then to help a friend and then gave another final. It was a long day - I left at 6:30am and got home at 8:45pm.

Thursday I worked and then Friday I gave more finals, turned in my grades and then worked until 6:30.

Saturday I got all kinds of things done and then went to help out for the Christmas party - it was a great success about 300 people came! It was very nice.

In the meantime I was excepted into my MPH program here and start in about a month or so. So next semester I will be working full time, doing my dissertation and taking 3 classes - should be busy!

Photo Shoot

Today I took pictures of the Bottoms.  It was a little chilly (if you look close you can see Zebadee's pink nose), but we had a good time and the pictures came out really cute.  Here are some of my favorites. 

Christopher and Zebadee

The Bottoms

Marcie and Zebadee

Isn't she so cute!

A happy family.

Thanksgiving Day

Well, Thanksgiving was fun.  I ate with Lois Porter, Clarisse Minner and the Bottoms.  We had lots of good food and company.  After we ate and cleaned up we dipped hard pretzels in caramel, chocolate and sprinkles or nuts and then went and caroled to 8 different families in the ward.  It was really fun and I think that it will be a new tradition for me. 

(From the left of the table) Marcie, Christopher and Zebadee and then Clarisse and Lois.

Us making the yummy pretzels.

Part of the finished product.

The finished treat plates - I made chocolate cake into loafs that we cut up and then we added candy - it was well received! :)

I Am Thankful for.... Talents

I had a great Thanksgiving and hope all of you did as well. We took some pictures of the activities and will post them when I get a chance.
Today I am grateful for talents - not just mine but yours as well. There are so many amazingly talented people in this world. I am thankful that each one of us got at least one of them and that we are able to make each others life that much more rich with them.


There are of course talents like singing, dancing, acting, speaking, creating art,sports, etc. that are very outwardly apparent and which I know many many talented people with these talents (actually I am related to people with these types of talents). But not to be forgotten are those that have talents that are unseen such as compassion, love, empathy, faith, hope, strength, patience and joy. What a amazing world we live in that allows to have and know people with all these types of talents, as I sit and listen to beautiful music be played and sung I am uplifted, art makes my heart happy, and then there are those that strengthen me and comfort me with their talents.