Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was a whirlwind event this year that spanned for about 5 days in 3 different states for us.  Crazy, but fun too.

We had our own little mini-Christmas with my family the night of the 23rd.  Then we flew to California the morning of the 24th to spend the holiday with Jason's family.  We had Christmas Eve dinner at his grandparents' with all of his mom's siblings.  Christmas Day we talked with Darlene (Jason's sister) who is currently serving a mission in the Philippines and had a nice little dinner gathering.

Gathered Around Grandpa

The dark and mysterious shadows that are Mama Z and Jessica opening their presents

The day after Christmas was moving day.  We spent the first half of the day loading up all of our stuff once more our of storage and into a moving truck.  The second half of the day was spent driving said moving truck as far as Vegas.  Knowing we wouldn't be able to make the drive to Utah in one fail swoop after loading the truck all day, we had used Priceline and ended up getting a room at the Las Vegas Hilton.  When we checked in, we were surprised at the size of the room we got.  It was HUGE!

Our Vegas hotel room--complete with bar

It was back on the road the next day when we finally made it to my parents'.  I swear, that trip never lasted so long!  Almost immediately upon arrival, we loaded up into their car and went to see a Snow Village that my mom had heard about through one of her friends.  It was pretty spectacular.  Then it was back home for one last round of Christmas presents.

And that was our Christmas this year.  Different for me since it was my first Christmas without my family, but fun to spend some time with the Ziebarths and get to know some of their traditions.  Hopefully next year we won't be trying to move over the holidays and will be able to relax a bit more!

The Short Lived Life of Snow Superman

Yesterday, we woke up to almost a foot of snow.  And it wasn't just any kind of snow.  It was the perfect kind for packing.  The weather was also really nice (in that it wasn't bitterly cold) so my sister Jori and I set out on a mission to build a snowman.  Nearly 4 hours later, this is what we came up with:


It's a Bird!  It's a Plane!  It's Superman!

  Sadly, within an hour he was accidentally decapitated by some young women who were just trying to take pictures.  An hour after that, he was nothing but pile of snow and memories thanks to a person or persons unknown.  I swear, some people have no respect.  I still had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the snow. Besides, now it really is starting to look like Christmas! :)

Thanks for letting me help Jo!



It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Over the last two weeks, Christmas has come to the Ziebarth household! One of the downsides to the timing of Jason's new job was that we weren't going to be in our own place for Christmas. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to use any of our decorations. But my sweet mother-in-law insisted that I use what I have to help them decorate their apartment. Since it is only a two bedroom apartment, we had plenty of decorations to deck the halls (and the tabletops, walls, and windows) from top to bottom. We even used both sets of ornaments on the tree (complete with two different stars on top). Thanks Mom!

Here are some pictures of some of the stuff we've done to get ready for the season:

Brother and Sister Decorating the Gingerbread House

A True Artist!

The Finished Product

The Stockings Were Hung By the TV with Care

Yummy!

Cookie Monster

Oh Christmas Tree!

Dual Stars for Our Dual Family Christmas

Tomorrow we are off to Utah for two weeks while we look for a place to live/spend some pre-holiday time with my family!

Disneyland Candlelight Processional

With our time in California rapidly drawing to a close, Jason and I decided that we had to make it to Disneyland at least one more time before we left.  After all, Christmas and Disneyland are two of my favorite things, so imagine how excited I get when they come together!  Since Jason is working now, we no longer have the option of going during the week when it is less crowded, so we ended up going last Saturday.

Upon walking into the park, we noticed this huge stage area set up in front of the Main St. train station and were curious as to what would be going on.  A couple hours later, we purchased something and the store clerk casually asked us if we would be staying for the Candlelight Processional.  I suddenly put two and two together. My aunt had told me about this event and said it is one of her favorite Disneyland events.  I still didn't know exactly what was in store for us, but I knew we were going.

After waiting in line for It's a Small World (for an hour--yes, it was our last chance to do it holiday style. That is the ONLY reason we waited that long), we booked it over to Main Street, fearful that we were going to miss it. We just caught the end of the processional (each individual in a 500+ member choir holds a candle and makes their way down Main Street) and made our way up towards the viewing area.  I am so glad we did!  What followed was an amazing performance.  I never would have thought that I'd hear the Christmas story while standing amidst hundreds of Disneyland guests.  Intertwined with the narration were spiritual Christmas songs that served as a great reminder for the true reason behind this season.

If you are ever in Disneyland the first Saturday/Sunday in December, make sure you make the effort to stop and listen!  You won't be sorry!