Christmas Happenings

I had a wonderful visit to St. Louis over the past week or so, despite my lost suitcase. For whatever reason I feel like this year I really relished every moment that I got to spend with my family and friends, in the house and the town where I grew up. I know that YLM is where I am supposed to be right now, but it felt so natural to be in such a familiar place, among so many people who have known me for years and/or are so much like me that the relation is undeniable. It takes special people to turn Red Bull or the Chrysler Building into a fit of hysterics! There really is no place like home for the holidays. I guess at some point in my life that will change but for 2010 it was truer than ever.

I won't bore you with explanations of everything I did in the days leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but some of the highlights that weren't covered in my last couple blogs were eating at a Nicaraguan restaurant (that had a song from Mariachi San Pablo's new CD playing on the radio!) and going ice skating! For the holidays we observed most of the traditions that we have kept up since I was little, with one change being that my godmother, who lives in assisted living, was not having a good day on Christmas Eve, which is becoming more and more common. She slept through most of church and then just wanted to go to bed while we ate cookies and sparkling grape juice and tried to celebrate with her before going back to our house for dinner (lasagna like always!). It was hard to see, but also hard to be sad on a day when, as the sermon reminded us, Jesus was born "unto you."

I also had a white Christmas! It was a good snow--just enough to make everything look beautiful but not really enough to make traveling too treacherous. Here are some pictures:

My dad and I shoveling our neighbors' driveway...it was funny how much I enjoyed doing so after living in the desert for 2 years now!

Me with my brother Kyle (22) and my sister Kara (13).

The 3 of us with my godmother Lucille.

Christmas morning...can you even see my sister or is she camouflaged in a pile of zebra patterned presents?

Opening one of mine!

My brother and I got my mom and dad a set of luggage...it was too big even for me to wrap so we hid it in Kyle's closet.

My sister and I have matching boots now! Except hers are a size bigger...

I've been back in El Paso since Sunday evening. A servant event from Mayer Lutheran High School in Mayer, MN, arrived this morning after driving straight through--26 hours. Today we just scoped out our worksites (yes plural, they're building 3 houses!), met the families, and went to the market. Tomorrow we start pounding. I will be building for a lovely elderly couple, Antonio and Gloria--yay casa tres! Right now it's about time to walk over to the dorms so I can join the group for devotions!

Until next time, blessings!