Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve we drove back up to Josh's parents house so that we could be there when we woke up Christmas morning. In his family they have a fun tradition Christmas Eve to each taking a turn bringing down the presents we have for each other to put under the tree. We then ring a bell after each of us are done, which tells everyone that we can open our eyes to see the goods. I was sad to have missed it this year. So even though Josh and I got home late, we rang the bell after we had brought all our presents downstairs. I can't wait to incorporate this into our little family one day. Christmas morning everyone who spent the night opened most the presents. At the end of the present opening Josh surprised me with a "Tiffany's necklace". That's right, he once again completely shocked me with an amazing surprise. For breakfast later that morning we had Meridee's famous egg casserole and sticky buns. Josh's brother is on a mission in Peru, so we were all eager to hear from him later that day. So right when the rest of the family arrived, we quickly finished opening gifts. The gift of the day would have to be the mother's ring we all gave Josh's mom. It was absolutely beautiful, thanks to Sam for picking it out. Finally, we were able to talk to Gabe, which was the highlight for all of us. We then topped off the night with Josh's manicotti for dinner. Josh and I both feel so blessed this time of year to have such great families to spend quality time with. We really had an awesome time during the Christmas season.



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Monday, January 21, 2008

Christmas Eve

This past Christmas Josh and I decided to spend Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas day with his family. So we went down early to help my mom get dinner ready. Growing up my family has had the tradition to have a crab leg dinner every Christmas Eve. So since the in-laws weren't too keen on that idea, we also had BBQ ribs, which Josh cooked up. The night was very entertaining with the kids running around. And of course they had to help to rest of us open all the presents. My mom bought the kids a grill/kitchen set, which ended up being the hit of the night. Josh and I surprised my mom with a bowl that I bought in Poland. And I surprised Josh with antique skis. He has always been the one with all the surprises up his sleeve. So I was excited to pull this one off. After presents we had dessert. Belgium chocolate fondue that we brought back from Switzerland! I had a nice spread of desserts to dip including my friends famous Belgium brownies and Josh's grandma's carmel's. Although the whole the night was a blast, I would have to say that watching the kids stare out the window for a half hour trying to find Santa and his reindeer was my favorite part. They are just so darn cute.
 

Sunday, January 20, 2008

A Night Out On The Town

Every year Josh's parents plan a night out with the family to do a nice dinner and a play of some sort. So this year we went to the Christmas Carol at Hale theate. Then they took all of us to Market Street Grill for a steak/crab leg dinner. It's always fun getting together with the Frampton family. I never seem to laugh as much as when I'm with Josh's family. Thanks Sam and Meridee for a 5 star night.




Birthday Celebration

Can I just say spoiled!?! I seriously had the best Birthday this year. It started with Josh making me breakfast in bed. He made waffles with stawberries and whip cream, bacon, hashbrowns and fresh fruit, then topped off with a bouquet of flowers. For lunch he took me to Olive Garden and then off we went for a shopping spree. After finding some fun new clothes, we drove down and met up with my family at good ol' Redrobin. Josh's family then took me out the next night to my all time favorite restaraunt Asian Star. Thanks again for all the phonecalls and gifts everyone. It made the big 26 a little easier for me.

Arizona Wedding

So, when I first got to the states, I flew down to Arizona. My best friend from high school was married in the Mesa temple at the end of November, which means I had to fly in earlier than Josh to make this wonderful occasion. I didn't have my camera, seeing as I broke the only one we had. So thanks to Kristi's cousin, you are able to see how beautiful she really looked. She was truly the perfect bride. She ended up having two receptions. One in Arizona and one in Utah. I hadn't seen Kristi in over a year. So it was great to spend a little time together. Welcome to married life Ben and Kristi. You're going to love it.


Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Our "Fairy Tale" Day

So I know I haven't posted anything for a while, but I've been in the states for over a month. So I will be doing some major catch up. Well, just before I went home, Josh and I celebrated our Anniversary in Germany. We thought what would be better to celebrate this occasion than to visit the original Cinderella's (Neuschwanstein) castle. We parked the car at the bottom of the hill, then rode a horse and carriage up to the castle. There was a massive guilded brass throne room with a beautiful tiled floor of 18 million individually chiseled tiles and brilliant gold painting . King Ludwig's chamber was a major highlight with its bedroom arrayed with all sorts of elaborate wooden furniture. The bedroom also had a hidden locked door to a private toilet, one of the first in Europe that featured running water. The ballroom on the fifth floor was also a highlight, with its incredible display of artwork. As King Ludwig was a big fan of Wagner's operas, scenes from the operas were posted on murals throughout the building, especially in the bedroom. The tour concluded with a walk past the kitchen facilities, which would have made any restauranteur proud. By the way, photography was not permitted inside the castle, and this was very strictly enforced. We were only able to take photos of the outside. We then went to a quaint little restaurant on the way home. And the Creme Brulee was absolutely divine. I ended up ordering two because it was so cheap.