Thursday, December 27, 2007

Our Slightly Modified, Barely White Christmas

We hope you all had a wonderful and merry Christmas! Our holiday celebration was slightly modified. For the first time since becoming a detention officer Trevor had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We did get to spend some time together each day, but then Trev went to work from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. It was a little tough for us to not have the entire holiday together, but we really enjoyed the time we did share. So, we opened gifts Christmas afternoon instead of Christmas morning, and we had a holiday feast on the 26th when Trev was off. Although we were hoping for a white Christmas, we knew it just wasn't going to happen given our unusually warm weather. However, we ended up having a light dusting of snow Christmas night... and we were so grateful!
While Trev was working, I was fortunate enough to have my mom, dad and grandpa here to spend time with. The three of them drove up in my parents' motor home and stayed at a park about five miles from our apartment. It worked out beautifully! We all were able to spend a lot of time together. Having some family here made our first North Carolina Christmas feel a little more like home! We weren't able, however, to be with Trevor's mom and dad. We spent the last few Christmases with them while we lived in Prescott Valley, so this holiday season was a little hard for everyone. Two thousand miles didn't keep us apart completely though... thanks to the wonderful computer video phone program SKYPE we were able to "spend a little time" with them. We thought of them throughout the day and hope to be able to see them next Christmas.
Trevor is really enjoying his new remote controlled micro-helicopter. For its size, it is rather loud. It sounds, and looks, a bit like a giant fly.
Perhaps the best part of the last week is that we were able to see our boys! Taz and Tanner both seemed to enjoy their first trip to North Carolina and we certainly enjoyed catching up on hugs.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

For the two of us, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Cold nights, warm fires joyful music, twinkling lights, and an undeniable merry feeling all around. Although we will desperately miss our family in Prescott, Denver, and San Diego, Trevor and I are embracing our first Smokey Mountain Christmas. We would love to end up with a white holiday, but due to unusually warm weather that doesn't seem to be in the forecast. Our freezing, blustery nights will just have to do! We have had to down-size the Christmas decorating this year. Our apartment would look like Santa's village if we put out all we normally would! While the garland may be less abundant and the tree small enough to sit on the coffee table, our Christmas spirit has never been stronger!