Post Christmas Update

I still need to download the pictures from our first Christmas being married. However that will happen after the big Paul's family Christmas on Saturday so the picture update will have to wait until later.

How exciting to spend our first Christmas being married! I loved it. We had my mother and my sister and her husband her (along with their puppy - Oscar). My mom arrived on the 23rd in the late afternoon, and that evening she and I sat down and not only started a puzzle, we finished the 500 piece on that night. Doing a puzzle over the Christmas season has been a tradition for years in the Johnston family. On the 24th my mom and I got cracking making a turkey dinner for that evening. The first turkey dinner I have ever cooked. Thanks mom, I couldn't have done it without you. I even made stuffing and I hate stuffing, however the rest of the family likes it and my husband loves it so stuffing it is! Jocelyn and Chris (my sister and her husband) arrive just after 4 pm and then Jeral's brother's family came over about 4:30 pm (Mark, Jodi, Sarah, Rebekah, James, and Rachel). We finally got around to eating around 5 pm. Only half and hour later that we had planned however that is fine. Jeral's mom called just as we were about to eat, and she made her rounds talking to everyone, and when I say everyone I mean everyone. She even talked to my sister and Chris. We all were rather entertained. After dinner we all went to the Christmas Eve service at our Church in Armstrong. It was nice and short just the way I like it. However it was not a candle light service and I was slightly disappointed with that. I love hoe the church looks when all the lights are off and we only have candle light while singing Silent Night. Maybe next year.

After the Service we came home and had our traditional cheese, sausage, and crackers snack before opening gifts. This was the first year in years that we opened gifts on Christmas Eve. Normally my sister and I have always insisted on opening gifts on Christmas day. However my mom sided with the boys and so it was Christmas Eve! I felt very spoiled. We got a fondue set from Mark and Jodi. I got a Willow Tree figure and a gift certificate to Micheal's (yeah for more yard to make blankets to give away, thanks mom), a hair dyer (much needed so I can put the old on in the painting room and just use it for that), candles, a heater for my special room upstairs, a ball cap (New England Patriots my fave NFL team), and the movie Hairspray. Jeral got lots of gift certificates to Marks Work Wearhouse, and starbucks, as well as a carry case for his laptop, some books, some shirts, and ipod speakers.

Later that night as we went to bed Jeral came into the room with a card for me, and in the card was $100 to go towards something very important to me, I had to fight crying because I felt so blessed and so undeserving of the love he gives to me.

Christmas morning we all slept in. Once we got up we had our traditional waffle brunch, and then it was time to open stockings. The rest of the day we just lay on couches and relaxed and played with the puppy who would whimper and cry if we left him alone in the laundry room. Mom, Jocelyn and Chris all left later on the 25th and Jeral and I had the evening together. We watched a movie and almost fell asleep, so we decided to go to bed, and well I was surprised yet again when I went to our room. I had asked Jeral for a large teddy bear and I thought he just didn't want to share a bed with it so I wasn't getting one and i was okay with that. So imagine my face when I walk into the room and see a large teddy bear sitting on my side of the bed. This time the tears flowed. Poor Jeral was soaked. I truly am blessed to be married to him and I am so very much in love with him. And yes I still sleep with teddy bears! And this one sleeps with Jeral and I . Good thing we have a king sized bed.

Well that is all for now. I will write more and add pictures in the next few days. Blessings and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year!