The only down side to the trip to MO for Thanxgiving was that the van was acting very poorly. It was "hiccuping", stalling, squealing, etc. We were just very glad to make it home. Well, although I LOVE not having a van payment we decided it was time to start looking for something new for me to drive. We were tired of putting money into a dying vehicle (new fuel pump, air compressor (for the a/c), transmission, etc, etc, etc.) and wanted to still get a decent amt for trade-in so the hunt began. Although Coby really wanted an SUV, the mid-sized ones were too small and the big ones were too big. I just wanted a van again because they are family friendly and easy to drive. After a search we decided on a Toyota Sienna and purchased our new van on Dec. 10th. It is very nice with actual plugs in addition to the regular car plugs, a built-in DVD player with cordless head phones, an AUX jack in the radio for the iPod and XM and many other features. I love the silver color because it is so much easier to keep clean than the blue. I LOVE IT! Having a payment again is painful, but knowing we can get where we need to go without any van troubles is worth it!
Before Thanxgiving we started decorating for Christmas because we entertained a bit at the beginning of December and then my family came in for the holiday. I usually don't like to put up alot of decoration because then you just have to take it down after the holidays, but with people coming and a beautiful house to decorate we went all out. Icicle lights across the front of the house, wreaths in the front windows (the wind was so strong it blew them all down), Christmas tree decorated, garland, lites and bows on the banisters, mantel, and piano, etc. It was fun to see the house all dolled up. Although the house sometimes bugs me because it has required so much updating and fixing, it really is a beautiful home.
The month of December flew by, and before we knew it Christmas was upon us. The kids and I made a trip to Amarillo to go to Sams, Super WM, and all the other places to get the food, paper goods, and everything else ready for the masses to come. Both refrigerators were full, the pantry stocked, the house cleaned from top to bottom, and the kids excited for Gpa & Gma and Santa to come (maybe even in reverse order). My brother Cyle got home from his year tour in Iraq just in time for Cmas with the family and it was great to see him again. Both my brothers returned home safe from their tours in Iraq and I was grateful for that knowing that not everyone gets to experience that blessing.
Christmas was so much fun with family and friends in town. My sister and her family made it in the day after Christmas and we ate, partied, played, talked, and enjoyed our time together. Reality hit all too soon when everyone left Tuesday, but what a great time. My brother Clint (stationed in CA) wasn't able to be with us (he was at a friends wedding in Hungary), but he was there in spirit and hopefully we can all get together again soon.
1 comment:
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