poor dasher...

sometimes the pics pile up so high... that i get overwhelmed at which ones to post.  probably a symptom of me taking so many pictures, really!  oh well.

here are a handful of interesting pics from Christmas Eve / Christmas Day with family in pennsylvania. 

overall we were pretty excited that santa showed up this year... since it looks like pap was waiting in the tree stand for the reindeer team last year!  looks like ole dasher wasn't as fast as they say!  :)



  

   

had a blast seeing family and friends over the holidays!  only problem is that we never make it around to everyone's house, you know!  regardless... a good time was had by all!

Merry Christmas...

journey to bethlehem...

yesterday was december 12th.  my 34th birthday.  it's been crazy at work for the last few weeks... so it was nice to be able to take some time to get away and have lunch with amy and the girls.  we met at max & erma's and got to hang out over onion soup and french fries.  kids were a little crazy... but it was fun to spend the time together, especially on my birthday!

back to the office for a few hours, a quick happy birthday song, along with 5 o'clock beers moved up an hour to 4pm.  very nice!  the CBC winter warmer has probably been my favorite holiday beer this year.  if you're reading this, and you have the means... i highly recommend it!

for the past few years... east pointe church puts on big production called "journey to bethlehem."  we wanted to go last year but weren't in town that weekend.  so i cruised out of work a bit early so that we could bundle up the girls and be at east pointe by 6pm.  layers upon layers of pants and long-sleeved shirts were in store.  funny because once we had them all bundled up... livi looked like the kid from a "Christmas Story!"  i knew if she fell over there was NO way she was getting up on her own.  i really wish i would have the camera for this one!

journey was very cool!  met up with greg, laura johnson, piper and jake plus kevin & krista smith... and were in line a little after 6pm with the girls.  while we were waiting... we heard some people getting excited and turned around to look... and they had brought a live camel into the church to walk around so people could pet him.  he was crazy soft... with prickly whiskers around his mouth that would tickle and scratch you lightly when he nibbled your hand.  piper and jake loved it.  avery and olivia... not so much.  they were more scared than anything.

after waiting 30 minutes or so, luckily in the warm building, they took us and another group of about 7 people outside to start the "trip."  6:30 - 6:45pm ish... and it was pretty dark outside.  very cold... but as soon as we walked outside... you could smell the burning camp fires.  the smell was amazing!  almost like they had been throwing in some incense here and there.  they gathered our group together and told us that our "family" was to travel to bethlehem because of the census.  and that the trip would be long and cold.. but we'd see some of our family along the way.

they had about six different "camps" set up along the way.  each one had different people and different animals that were there during that time.  the costumes were pretty well done... but i can't imagine being one of the volunteers standing out in the cold all night!  temps must have been in the teens.

there were roman soldiers riding around on horses, shepherds tending to sheep, stables with donkeys and camels... even a llama or two.  our guide walked us through a makeshift market with people selling spices, fabrics and other wares.  the final stop of the journey was coming into an inn at bethlehem.  they didn't have room for us, so we had to head out to the back stable.  out back we found a couple huddled inside in the hay with a new born baby.  they told us a story about their travel and the meaning behind it all.  it was really great because during the last two camps leading up to this.. livi kept asking me where "baby jesus" was.  it was very cute!

overall the kids loved the animals!  and i think it helped drive home the real meaning behind Christmas.  plus they especially loved the cookies and hot chocolate afterwards.

so it was a fun birthday spending time with amy and the girls!  funny how life has changed over the years from the days of bars and eating out... to now, when all it takes is finding some good quality time together, watching their eyes light up!  it was a VERY cool birthday!