Christmas Eve with Christ

On this Christmas Eve, I've found myself stuck here in Connecticut alone, unable to travel home to Utah this year to visit my family as I typically do. I've been sitting in my apartment feeling the crushing loneliness surrounding me all evening and feeling very resentful of the holiday season when I have no one special to share it with this year.

Under my little Christmas tree in the corner of the room sat one solitary gift from my mother. I knew it was a book, as that has always been our Christmas Eve tradition. I also knew it would be a book to enrich my testimony as she has made it a habit of giving me wonderful gospel books.

As I sat there, feeling completely alone, I saw the book under my tree and knew it was time to open it. As I pulled the paper off I was instantly struck with the burning of The Spirit, just from the image on the cover:

One glimpse of the nail print in Christ's hand and I knew I'd found my company for the evening, I am not alone tonight, my Savior is with me.

I devoured the beautiful book, its a coffee table style book where the photographer has brilliantly captured significant moments of the life of Christ. The photographers story touched my heart and pictures brought tears to my eyes. There is also music (which I just bought on itunes...my "Christmas" music for this year) as well as a DVD (which I totally want as well).

The Website: http://www.reflectionsofchrist.org/

My two favorite photos:

Walking on Water

Resurrection

"He is not here: for he is risen." ~Matthew 28:6

Mom, thank you so much for this most wonderful of Christmas Eve books! I love you!!!

Snow, snow, a sore throat....oh yeah...and more snow!

Okay, so Thursday night the kids' school called a snow day for Friday. When I woke up on Friday morning our yard looked like this:

I know! What a blizzard!!! Thank goodness for a snow day huh??? *insert eye roll*

It was all okay though...we got to sleep in and have fun the whole day. The fun started with Alexander, my 6 yr old, suggesting that we make crepes for breakfast. I got very excited! Crepes are a *MAGICAL* food (according to Kate the Great - have I ever told you the story of how Kate once wrote a whole paper for my foods class on crepes? I haven't?? Well that's a fabulous story...remind me to tell you someday! haha) Anyway....the trouble was, I've never made crepes! And those who know me know that I'm not the greatest chef on the block (unless you want enchiladas....then watch out Food Network! You got nothin on me!) but I decided to be brave, looked up a simple recipe online and went to work. Low and behold my made-from-scratch crepes were a tremendous success! So yummy! I was quite proud of me! :D

Around lunch time we finally started getting the promised snow (kids could have totally done a half day but whatever!) and boy did it snow a ton! Quite the blizzard...so the kids and I played outside for awhile....even made snow angels on the tennis court! LOL

So thanks to the blizzard we've been stuck at home all weekend and thanks to the snow angels I've had a sore throat as well :( Ugh...nothing but chicken soup and herbal tea for me! Hopefully I'll be better soon!

Its A Waveny Park Christmas Buddy!

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Blessings & Happiness

So this past week I've received so many blessings I can't even count them! However, I need to mention the two that are the most significant and have brought the most tremendous joy!

The first was receiving my Endowment at the Manhattan Temple last Friday :)

The lead up to it was crazy and drove me nearly insane, I know that opposing forces were working on me right up till the moment I walked through the temple doors (as was evidenced when I burst into tears at the counter in the distribution center where I'm sure the lady who helped me thought I was a lunatic!) but once I was inside I felt so peaceful and calm and wonderful. The Spirit that day was stronger than I've ever felt it and having my mom by my side and my best friend there to hold my hand made it all the better! It was easily one of the most, if not THE most amazing and marvelous day of my life!

Sitting in the Celestial Room (yep, that's it in the pic!!) all I could think was how grateful I was for being there and the feeling I had there and how that moment wasn't worth trading for ANYTHING in the whole world. Not one single stupid sin could EVER be worth trading that moment! It was wonderful and I can't wait to go back again and again (starting with this Saturday!)

The second great blessing this week was my new little nephew: Elijah James Willis

Elijah James Willis
12-10-08
7 lbs.
19 Inches
Born: 10:01 am