DECEMBER.
- The little Harley-kookle got sick and went to the hospital just in case. The sweet boy has such a poor immune system and catches every little bug that comes around. He ended up being alright.
- The semester ends, the finals are aced, and I bump up to valedictorian in my graduating class. That was exciting.
- Jayla left two days before Christmas. This was very hard on us.
- Christmas. Ohhhh my. This Christmas season was the greatest one I've ever had. The Spirit I felt and tried to keep with me as I went about my days in December proved to be transformational. I learned so much about peace and joy and love and Jesus Christ this month.
- I went on splits multiple times this month with the sister missionaries, and we became fast friends. I am so pumped for my mission.
- I took all the kids to the Mesa Temple Lights for an evening while Mom and Dad rested. I love those guys with all my heart. I bought lots of hot chocolate that night, which was a very worthy investment.
- I got to see the power of the church's media in action while sharing the Mormon Message Christmas Videos with random people while with the missionaries. It seemed as though we simply pressed play and the Spirit was there. It really touched people.
- Went on some lovely outings to farms, festivals, and restaurants with family and friends and had lots of opportunities to just breathe and play.
- I spent a lot of time making and getting presents for my parents and siblings. Giving and receiving gifts is NOT my love language, and I am not naturally inclined to give gifts. This month I really tried to work on being conscious of this.
- We went sledding on a fake hill of snow.
- I finally found all my shoesssss.
- In the new ward I got called to be the Ward Music Director and the Laurel Class President.
- We went to Amazing Jakes as a family and had a ball for Laina's birthday.
- After Christmas, Josh, Isabelle, Mom and I all went shopping for clothing one day for the first time in years. My clothes were very well worn, and all my shirts and pants either had holes in them or looked cheap and old. I wanted to clean out these olds and replace them with some more purposeful, thoughtful pieces. I am not one to be inclined to shop or even spend money, so I put this off for a long time and continued to wear all the old clothes (despite the hounding of my mother that I needed to move on and donate the ratty stuff). It was as if I felt unsafe getting rid of all the clothes I currently wore, despite their condition, unless they had a replacement. I wonder what that says about my personality. Anyways, I made $100 stretch really far across the three stores we went to. Now I don't have to buy clothes for YEARS (it seems) and my wardrobe is simpler and purposeful. (Unnecessary details: I previously got some very good personalized fashion advice from a rad hairstylist, and I knew what sorts of things I was looking for as far as style went. I had never received such blunt and insightful fashion advice before. He also said to invest in your pants/skirts/dresses and accessories/shoes while only buying shirts at mega-uber-on-sale prices. We started at Goodwill, then went to Ross, and then went to H&M. That progression was really cool. We went from cheap/fairly low quality to pricyish/varied quality to pricyish/high quality. I learned that sale prices at Ross are basically the same as sale prices at H&M. It is worth it to go to higher-end stores that match your style and find the sales. Only invest in Goodwill items if they are dirt cheap and quality. Ross is not as cool as it seems.)
- I bought an epic leather jacket for $11 and started unintentionally/intentionally wearing it every single day. I love it a lot. It is probably my most favorite clothing item I own. I've never had one of those before. It's very different and nice to love (and actually wear) every article of clothing you own.
- The coldish weather is growing on me, but I still miss the heat. By March I'll likely regret ever saying that and pine for cool weather. Ha.
- We go to Pinetop, AZ the last week of our Christmas Break just to visit our grandparents and have fun. They've really created a haven up there for us.
- I got a skin abrasion on my face in a sledding accident. I was being dumb and was trying to go on my stomach face-first down a hill and over a jump. Haha.
- The lovely Hoag sisters came down to party on New Years, and I chauffeured ten crazy teenagers back and forth across town in my party minivan. (Nearly every single time I go to a gathering with super energetic young kids, even if they are only a few years younger than I am, I feel so old and serious in comparison. I love all these young friends SO very much, but they are sooo hyper-crazy it is difficult for me to maintain my peace.)
- The year 2015 ended on a wonderful note.
