Tis the Season...

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone....I wish time would slow down a bit...especially during the holidays....it's my favorite time of the year! The past week has been jammed pack with Christmas parties and family gatherings....we've really had a great time celebrating the season and the birth of our Savior. Now we're at our cabin in Buena Vista, CO relaxing and enjoying the snow...we got here yesterday and will stay through the 2nd or 3rd. I have a lot to blog about and thanks to our extremely slow pace at the cabin (it's wonderful and definitely needed), I should have plenty of time for some new posts during our stay.

Last Friday, Josh and I hosted the 2nd annual Christmas dinner and gift exchange with are dear friends...Marina and Chris Simmons, Elizabeth and Jordan Brazel and Karen and BJ Rector. Here are a few pics from the party...


My dinning room table decorated for dinner....I cooked pork tenderloin, green beans, mashed potatoes and bread pudding...


We drew names and had a $20 limit. Marina had Josh...she gave him a book he really wanted.


Josh had Karen....he gave her A Charlie Brown Christmas.


Karen had me....she gave me this adorable scarf that I've worn 3 times already...I love it!


I had Liz...I gave her a make-up bag and really cute leggings.


Liz had BJ...she gave him new socks that he was strangely excited about....socks was what he wanted. Strange. :)


BJ had Chris....he gave him cigars and a cigar cutter.


Chris had Jordan....he gave him coffee, a coffee mug and gummy bears....a few of his favorite things!


Jordan had Marina....he gave her a precious prayer box.


The girls...


The whole gang....thanks to the timer on my new camera!

Josh and I are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives...we love y'all!

Glory in the Highest!

On Dec. 13th we celebrated Christmas with our IBC small group....we went to dinner at Fireside Pies at the Shops at Legacy and to the Shane and Shane Christmas concert, Glory in the Highest. Dinner was excellent and I was in heaven at the concert....I love Shane and Shane! Bethany Dillon and Phil Wickham opened for Shane and Shane....they all put on a great show and it definitely got us all in the Christmas spirit!

Our small group...


Me & Josh with Elyse & Scott Hollrah...and baby Hollrah on the way! :)


Liz & Joey Goodwin (left) and Lindsay & Matt Terry (right)

Gingerbread!

Marina and I went to a gingerbread house decorating party last night at The Crescent for work. The Crescent's pastry chef did a demonstration for us and then we all got after our own gingerbread houses with icing and candy galore! It was so much fun....we felt like kids again! Marina and I were the last to leave the party.....kind-of embarrassing....but we were just having too much fun!

Here are a few pictures of how my house turned out....

The front...


The side...


The back...


This is who I found on top of my dinning room table this morning helping themselves to a sweet treat....


They licked the icing completely off of the Christmas tree on the left side of the door...little stinkers!


But how can you get mad at this face... :)


Have a great weekend everyone! I'm getting my Christmas party panties on...today is my last day of work for 2 full weeks....it's time to celebrate the season!

Cheers!
Mindy

Just another day at work...

This is where I've been working since Wednesday...Paradise Island, Bahamas.



And this is where I've been sleeping...One & Only Ocean Club.



Alison (my co-worker and dear friend) and I are having a great time....we've been working hard, long days...but who can complain when it's in the Bahamas!! The weather has been fantastic and all of the pre-wedding events have gone really well so far. The wedding is today at the Ocean Club. Right now, Ali and I are sitting in lawn chairs over looking the unbelievable turquoise water going over all the details for the wedding. Talk about an office with a view! Luckily, we're staying a couple extra days to unwind and enjoy the Bahamas before we head back to Dallas on Tuesday. We can't wait to be on the beach tomorrow...book in hand...no worry in the world....enjoying an Ocean Club Pina Colada...it really doesn't get much better than that!

Christmas Questions!

I've received this email a few times, so I thought I would turn it into a blog post for everyone to see...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for sure! My mom wraps the most beautiful packages....I love opening her gifts!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial...it's just easier. Although, I love the smell and look of a real tree!

3. When do you put up the tree? It's different each year...the earlier the better though! This year our tree went up the weekend before Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually the week after New Years...I like to enjoy it for as long as possible.

5. Do you like eggnog? Absolutely not!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Our dog, Max. I think I was 4 years old or so...it was a complete surprise to my brother and I....so fun!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad...sorry, dad!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Josh...he always knows exactly what he wants.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes...my mom got me one on her trip to Israel last year.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail...I love receiving Christmas cards!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A used 3 speed bike when I was little...at the time I was so excited about it....but looking back, it makes me wonder why my parent's decided to go with a used bike instead of a new one... :)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story and....this is embarrassing, but my all time favorite is Smoky Mountain Christmas with Dolly Parton.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as I can, but usually not until the beginning of December.

14. Have you ever re-gifted a Christmas present? Yes...my 5th grade teacher gave our class bear shaped ornaments that she signed on the back. I took a black magic marker and colored the back of the ornament so you couldn't see her signature anymore and gave it to my mom that year for Christmas. Brilliant!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas treats like gingerbread cookies, toffee, fudge....really, anything sweet!

16. Lights on the tree? Oh, yes!!

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have way too many favorites, but if I have to pick one, O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually, we're traveling. Growing up, we were always at home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph!!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither....the top of my tree is super funky...see picture below from a previous post.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? When we're with Josh's family, Christmas Eve....with my family, Christmas morning. I really like Christmas morning better, but that is just what I'm used to.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? It always sneaks up on me and goes by way too fast!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love all of my bright colored, sparkly ornaments....and my pass-down ornaments from my grandmother and mom.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey and dressing.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new car with a big red ribbon on top! I think my husband is going to get this for me. He's so great! ;)

These questions are so fun, so I'm going to turn this into a tag....Marina, Karen (hopefully this will force you to update your blog), Julie, Jenni and Jamie....you're it!