All I want for Christmas is YOU!

Christmas time for me is the best time of the year! It's not the presents and gift giving galor...it's the family, the friends, the feelings, and the FOOD. The four essential F's. Despite our crazy schedules we were both determined to make the most of the time we had together. Luckily we were both able to have a week off ( one of marc's rare 1 out of 3 weeks off out of the entire year). Each day was full of fun, laughter, singing christmas songs, and spending plenty of time with family.

So I can get a little bit excited about Christmas and I definitly couldn't hold myself back, especially now. So I did the 12 days of christmas for marc. I can't give out the exact details of every gift....I don't want my family to know us too well:), but we'll just say that some involved Dove chocolates, creamy ice creams, bubble bath left over from the seven swans a swimming, and there is no way I was going to let eight ladies dance with my husband so we had an evening of dancing the night away. It was so much fun. Up until our week off together things were crazy....we were closing on our newly found home, packing and moving all of our things, closing up our rent on our apartment, working, working, and working. So it is true, we didn't get our christmas tree until 5 days before christmas, we were part of the crazy crowd that did venture the stores days before christmas, and .....we loved every minute of it....it will definitely be a christmas we will never forget. We were able to attend the Draper temple to do sealings, we went out to dinner with friends and family, attended a christmas concert, and saw some pretty amazing movies. It was also a christmas that others will not forget as well.

 The Error family does a christmas program every christmas eve...and we were determined to start a tradition...the tradition of the ugly christmas sweaters. Each year they will get more and more outrageous and more and more ugly. This year we found ours at the DI, but marc's needed a little something extra....so being the crafty woman that I am, I sewed bells and pom poms and little reindeer all over his pink sweater....it was so beautiful. For the program I decided to share one of my favorite stories with everyone, "Dr. Seuses how the grinch stole christmas"....but in order to ensure that the little Error kids believed me when I said I was originally from Who-ville I styled my hair in a fashionable Cindy-Lou-Who up Do.( I so didn't mean to ryhme that). We had a delicious dinner and exchange some gifts, we even got a surprise visit from Santa at the door with PJ's for all the kids.

Just when I thought all was said and done and the night was tying down, Marc announced that he had one gift that he wanted to give me tonight, he couldn't wait until tomorrow. Handing me a long rectangular box I was thinking maybe a neckless or a bracelet....I never would have imagined what I was about to unwrap. No silver neckless, but a red nylon collar, I looked at Marc bewildered. We had talked about getting a puppy but had decided that it would be better to wait until the summer when things weren't quiet so crazy and we were more settled into our home. He took my hand and lead me to the door, my heart was pounding, "Did he really get a puppy?" Not going to lie I partially panicked because I had it set in my mind that waiting until summer was ok. I held my breath as I walked around the corner to see the biggest fluff ball I could have imagined.

He had gotten me the dog of my dreams, a golden retriever....a little girl. She was perfect! We pondered over a name for five days....options ranging everywhere from Tille, Izzy, Goose, and Whiskey....the last two were marc's.

Our first Christmas morning together was perfect, we both took our turns sneaking out to the tree to make sure that santa had stuffed our stockings to the tip top full. Then anxiously at 8am ( sleeping in for us) we bounded out to see the christmas magic and to play with our new little addition to our family. I honestly could have been happy right then and there, cuddled up on the couch with my amazing husband staring at our beautifully lite christmas tree....that was the best gift of all.

That evening we braved the roads with puppy in tow to spend christmas evening with my family in cache valley. As always my mother went way over board with presents even after she had said "This year is going to be much smaller thatn the previous ones"...liar. We had a delicious dinner with Trev,Sarah, Mom, and my Grammy ( she recently had a stroke that was pretty traumatic, but we made sure that she could be a part of our christmas...I love my grammy so much, it was hard to see her this way, but I was so thankful to have her with us this christmas.)

Lamps, blankets, clothes, candles, and zoo zoo pets???( yeah the huge christmas craze was a wind up hampster..and somehow mom got a hold of two....I have no idea what to do with it..but ha..we got one).

The true meaning of christmas has never rung more true for me before than it did now; family, friends, and faith....what better gifts, what more priceless gifts could you ask for.