pine smell still lingers in my vaccuum...

i really can't believe it's already over. our tree and all things christmasy are packed away already, due to the problem of our tree becoming a very dangerous fire hazard, shedding crispy dry needles if anyone so much as sneezed near it. it was still the most beautiful christmas tree i have ever had. so it's all done, but there are all of the pictures and all of the memories i get to sift through any time i want. and, of course all of the christmas gifts still sitting on our kitchen table, waiting to be put away!

we have housesat during christmas for the past 2 years, and have both decided that next year we will be HOME for christmas. it was quite a pain to lug all of our gifts there only to open them and lug them all the way back. plus, it just wasn't home, you know? anyhow, despite that, our christmas was lovely. christmas eve we had hot chocolate and a fire and watched "it's a wonderful life" as promised, and then josh begged me AGAIN to open just one gift and i said "not until christmas" so he asked if we stayed up till midnight, then could he, and i said "yes" because it was only 10 and we were tired and i really didn't think we'd be up till midnight. so it's midnight and, of course we're up. so i finally consented for him to open JUST ONE present and we opened a package from our friend miriam who lives in victoria. she gave us a glow in the dark thomas kinkade puzzle! (thanks miriam) due to excited chatter & all of that, we finally fell asleep at 1am and then my dear, lovely husband goes and wakes me up at FIVE-THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!! oh. my. goodness. but it's christmas and i can't be a humbug, so off we go to open our gifts together and it was very nice and we took our time and i LOVED the things he got for me (especially the very comfy sweater i got) and it was fun opening gifts that my mom and dad and brothers and sisters sent as well.

then we got in the car and drove up to temecula. we had picked names in josh's family, which makes gift buying so much easier, but josh's mom is famous for her stockings, which she does for everyone. they are not so much stockings as they are huge paper grocery bags filled to the brim with gifts, with a stocking hanging over the top of each just so we know who's is who's. we opened stockings for hours and hours. but it was very fun and we had lots of yummy food...our traditional breakfast plus orange chicken for lunch before we jetted back home to sit and digest for an hour and then headed over to josh's parent's house for dinner. that night i think i fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

now we are finally back to our home sweet home. christmas is over, but i don't feel down one single bit. i think that it mostly has to do with the fact that i'm flying home to abbotsford next month!!! i just found out that i can get the time off, and i'm staying for just a few days the week of my birthday! i am so extremely excited, i can barely contain it! of course, i won't be able to see everyone i'd love to see, since it's going to be for such a short time, but i know that i'm going to try to get my fill of family while i'm there.

well, that's it for now. i'm going to go put all of my presents away now :)