holiday happenings- 2010

This holiday season has been very different for me/us.  With all of the wedding planning and anticipation of our upcoming nuptials, we both sort of forgot that Christmas was coming and pushed it out of mind/minimized it quite a bit.  We let everyone know in advance that we had a very tight Christmas budget and I actually made most of the gifts we gave this year.  It made Christmas a lot more special by lowering our expectations and focusing solely on Jesus (the real reason for this season), family, quality time with the ones we love, and provided initimate time alone with our family before we see them next and can't talk very much. Here are some photos of what we've been up to: 

Small group holiday dinner... 

 me and G money!

 3 generations of ladies out for tea!

high tea @ The Grand w/some of my favorite women

This Aves. home is "all in" for Christmas...he even handed us candy canes as we drove by!

Christmas Day was amazing, but I have NO photos somehow!?  Aron's parents came over to my mom's and Nani was able to join us for breakfast, as well.  We had a delicious AM feast, opened stockings and some gifts and Aron's parents had to hit the road.  I spent the rest of the day working on wedding details and Aron spent the day packing some basic essentials to move in to our new apartment today!  We went to Denny's for a snack w/some friends and headed to the theater to watch "Meet the Fockers".  When Aron tucked me in last night things got a little emotional after, yet again, feeling like we don't know how anyone we meet in Reno could top our friends here.  Seriously.  God has been so good to us. 

Aron's on the road right now and once he arrives in Reno he will be signing the lease on our new place.  It's all feeling pretty real right now.  We're getting married in 20 days and Aron is living in OUR place...in a different state.  Gosh.  During our emotional conversation last night I told Aron that while I am elated to be marrying him so soon, each day we get closer to the wedding means we get one day closer to moving.  I really do have some things that I'm looking forward to about NV, but there's a surreal feeling that I have as I see everything coming to a close for this chapter in life for us. 

Okay.  That's all for now.  Off to workout (Operation: UP IN THE GYM has commenced), clean, do laundry, and grocery shop for a dinner w/some close friends this evening.  Thank you, friends for helping to keep my mind off of Aron being gone.