Christmas Season Fun and Friends

Carol had the great idea of organizing a High School friends potluck brunch this Christmas. Everyone was invited, but we really hoped to get to see some friends that we hadn't seen since... high school?!

She was willing to host (since I hosted a different friends breakfast the week before) and I sent out a Facebook message. We ended up with about 15 ladies we went to high school with. Can I actually say "girls" because that sounds a lot younger than "ladies" and it didn't feel like it has been 18 years since we graduated. 46 sounds old. But it doesn't feel old!

We were from all different high school groups, some that overlapped, and some that I didn't really become friends with until after high school. It was so much fun! One friend had the idea to all go around and tell a little about our lives since high school. I loved that so much because I love hearing from everyone individually.

I was really good friends with Holly in high school and even Jr. High. But I haven't seen her since then. It was so wonderful to get to spend a couple of hours with her catching up and hearing about her life. She is just is fun to be with, laughs easily and made me laugh to be with her. Good friends really are treasures. You may not realize it when they're gone, but to see them again you realize how much you've missed them!

We didn't remember to take a photo until some friends had already left. Missing Cindy, Edie, Jen K.,
and maybe someone else. Next year we'll get everybody!

Rachel and Jeremy came in town for the Cottonwood Christmas Party - awesome perk of working for the same company! When Rachel left Friday morning, we joked that she would be back in just over a week and that I should just leave the sheets on the bed. I was tempted, but in the back of mind vaguely remembered that someone else might be coming before she got back.

As it turned out, we changed the sheets four more times in one week:

* Kay, JD and Kay's boyfriend Chuck spent a couple of days with us when they came to Utah for a wedding.

* The day they left, my Mom and Dimitrios arrived. They stayed for a couple of days before they went down to Sheree's house. 

* Marge stayed Saturday and Sunday nights over Christmas.

*And Rachel was back on Monday!

Dan went down to Provo on Tuesday to help Marty get moved out of his apartment and spend the $1000 leftover in his school meal plan. Yes, I'm serious! They ended up buying $1000 worth of groceries at BYU Creamery. A store just a tiny bit bigger than 7-11. They did have appliances though so we could buy our gifts for the Herrera family. And we have quite a huge stash of cold cereal, oatmeal, maple syrup, granola bars, frozen pizzas, steaks and pop-tarts. And about 2 of everything else in the store.

Courtney came home late Thursday night but she brought a pile of Finals and Reports with her. And grad school applications. I swear her homework never ends. She also needed to learn a new song to accompany Chandler at their Single's Ward on Sunday. Friday she was trying to do homework at the house but Rachel and I were too distracting ;-) so she went to Dan's office to work.

Chris was looking fly (that's a word now) for Winter Formal on Saturday night. He's wanted to get a suit like this for a year. And he pulls it off well! Fits his personality great! But while everyone else was done with school, Chris still had to go through Thursday, Dec. 23! Not a very long break for Christmas! He also got asked to Sweethearts Ball. Yep, that's in February. 

That same night Dan and I had tickets to Peter Breinholt and joined friends for dinner at a German Deli near the theater. 

Sunday dinner with everyone home!

Meanwhile, my siblings had a plan to surprise my mom on her 70th birthday with a video of photos from her life. We were going to keep it simple with some growing up photos, a few photos of us growing up and then photos of her with our kids. But everyone had such great photos, it was hard to not use all of them. And it was a fun project to work on. Like Dad, Marty, always says (about carving bowls for people), whenever you work on a project for someone, you think about them the whole time. You remember things about them and think of things you love about them and it's a really special time. That's how it was for me while working on this project for my mom and with photos of all my siblings, really. So it was a great thing to be thinking and doing during the Christmas season.

I was in a race to finish the slideshow and photobook before my mom arrived on Wednesday.  I had a few more photos to go and ran up to shower. I texted to ask her when they were arriving. When I got out, I had a text that they were here and headed to my house!! I threw on a robe and while running downstairs madly texted back, "No rush! I'm headed out the door to run some errands!" (Which I was, but now needed to finish that book!) In a frenzy I was able to upload the final photos and then upload the book. It felt very much like a movie where I was uploading very valuable information as fast as I could before I got caught! Expedited shipping and hoping it arrives in time for her party!

That night all of us, including my mom and Dimitrios went to Nick's Jr. Jazz basketball game. Then our family headed to the Jazz game while my mom and Dimitrios went off for plans of their own. Lots of fun for the whole family this December!!