Christmas Survey

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper. Unless the gift is too awkward to wrap.

2. Real tree or Artificial? 
Real.

3. When do you put up the tree? 

This year we had it up on the 4th


4. When do you take the tree down? 

The first year we were married, Matt took it down the day after Christmas so there wouldn't be any "Christmas" on my birthday. But I think last year it didn't get thrown out until after New Years.

5. Do you like eggnog? 

I don't mind having it in small doses. It, however, does not like me.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? 

That's a hard one. The first thing that comes to mind is a collection of fancy barbie dresses my parents gave me.

7. Hardest person to buy for? 

My dad, hands down. 

8. Easiest person to buy for? 

Probably Sharon

9. Do you have a nativity scene? 
Nope

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? 

Neither. I won't be doing Christmas cards until Matt agrees to have pictures taken to use with them. And if that happens, I would be mailing them. I like snail mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? 

Well one year a used sweater of my mom's got wrapped as a present for me on accident. That was really interesting to open. But I can't really think of specific something that was meant to be a serious gift and I hated it. Probably some gift that someone gave to me as a combined Christmas/Birthday present.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? 

Home Alone 2

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? 

After Thanksgiving or later.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? 

Not that I can remember.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? 

My dad's ham with pineapple sauce. 

16. Lights on the tree? 

Colored lights that blink different patterns

17. Favorite Christmas songs? 

Winter Wonderland, Christmas in Killarney (the Bing Crosby version), It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas, Let it Snow, The Little Drummer Boy, stuff by Mannheim Steamroller or Trans Siberian Orchestra.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? 

I've always stayed home, but it would be fun to travel sometime.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? 

Cupid, Comet, Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? 

Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? 

Usually we open present Christmas eve at my parent's and then Christmas evening at Matt's parent's. We open our presents for each other Christmas morning. Although, this year will be a bit different.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? 
Grumpy people and the amount of traffic and mass crowds. Oh, and screaming children. Especially ones who scream/yell at their mom for 20 minutes straight and so loud that I can hear them in each section of the department store. 

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? 

My favorite ornaments are these frosted white ones with silver snowflakes. But, all the rest of my ornaments are bright colors like turquoise, fuchsia, green, etc. 

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Didn't I already answer this?

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
A hippopotamus.

M|m: Swan Lake Amazingness

My jaw literally dropped in awe about 5 times while watching this.

What's Up Lately

Well apparently time can sneak by and before you know it, it's been over a month since your last blog post. Sorry about that. I was having a hard time finding anything particularly worth writing about and so I was just keeping up with Media Monday. But then Matt sort of made a comment about how the blog had nothing new or interesting, it was just being filled with random "crap." So then I stopped blogging Media Monday as well.

But I'm back for now, so let's try to re-cap anything you've missed, shall we? In a fairly unorganized manner, mind you.

Another season has come and gone for U of U football. It had some ups and downs and definitely wasn't something to make us feared in the PAC 12 just yet, but the day will come, I tell you. Although the games were not always a happy ending, we did enjoy alternating games to go with my dad. Unfortunately my dad wasn't able to get work off for the last home game so my dad gave us the tickets for Matt and I to go together. Thanks Dad :)


We had a nice Thanksgiving. Meals covered for us at both sets of parents and lots of pumpkin pie. "Free Meal, Free, Free, Free Meal!" Cafe Rio anyone? :P We went to Matt's parents in the afternoon and spent some time there until we went to my parents for the evening. Luckily, this Thanksgiving my parent's house didn't turn out to be as barren as I was expecting since Emily has moved. My oldest sister and her family were in Utah and came to visit. They proved to be good company and I even got in a game of  Rummikub; which I won. I can't believe how old my nephew and niece are - teenagers, wth? So if they're teenagers and I'm still relatively young, does this make me the cool aunt?

After much dreaming and scanning real estate sites, we officially started our home search and have been pretty much searching all of November. That stuff is exciting, overwhelming, and terrifying all at once. Some homes are seriously weird. We're thinking we're set on something, but won't know for sure just yet.

December marks getting into the holiday spirit; or trying to at least. We went shopping for our Christmas tree, which I look forward to doing every year. We brought it home and got all the decorations out that day. Lights and ornaments on the tree, wreath on the door, Christmas scentsy out with a Christmasy scent, snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, all make Christmas seem so much closer.

The first weekend of December we made our annual night out to the Festival of Trees. This year, like last year, we were able to go with our friends Whitney and Jon. It took us probably 15-20 minutes just to get off the freeway exit and then probably another 10 at least just to get into the parking lot. That place continues to get crazier every year. We browsed trees and had strollers run into us, admired gingerbread houses and had a little girl try to hold my husband's hand, took some pictures - a few with unwanted attendees who thought they were funny, and ate some scones, of course! No offense to kids or families, but I think they should make one night where it could just be adults. It doesn't even have to be a whole night, just 7:30-9:00 or something.

We also went to Zoo Lights today. It was our first time ever going. It was cold of course, but a fun thing to see. You don't really get to see many animals because it is night time and a lot of them are sleeping, but I'm glad we went and got to check it out. We also were able to see someone carving a block of ice into a big snowflake.

The ice sculpture is a little hard to see because there is a light up lion behind it, but it's a snowflake.

We were standing in front of a gingerbread house, but we're sort of covering all of the lit parts. 

So now we have a couple Christmas parties to attend, and we're hoping to find a good area to drive around and see Christmas lights. Anyone know of good places or have any suggestions?