One of the reasons I wanted to jump back into blogging is the quantity of pictures I've been taking lately, and my desire to share them with others. Pictures have a story, and I want to share and remember the stories. Facebook and Instagram are great for sharing photos, but I don't want to become one of those people that others start to "defriend" because of the over sharing. So, come willingly to my blog, and I will share!
Erik (my husband, for those of you not familiar with my new life) and I had yet another busy Christmas. But this busyness reminds of the great blessings in our life. We are so grateful for the many family and friend gatherings that take place around the holidays.
The weekend before Christmas we headed to Fergus Falls where some of Erik's extended family lives. The best part of this quick trip, we drove in my mother's minivan with six grown adults! Hey, why take two cars when you can take a minivan!? I've attached a bad self-timer picture from the van.
In Fergus Falls we ate a big meal, then hung out playing games like Blockus and Heads Up. If you need to liven up a party, download Heads Up, best party game ever! Then we headed to our hotel, where I Clorox wiped the entire hotel room because of the germs spreading across MN. I know, that may have been a bit overkill and Erik caught a cold anyways. We then enjoyed the hotel pool with Erik's cousins, then headed to Applebee's for some apps and taps.
Christmas Eve was our busiest day. We started with church at 4:00. Then we headed to my side of the family's get-together. We enjoyed drinks and appetizers for about an hour, then quickly jumped in the car to drive an hour south for Erik's family's get-together. Oh, and Erik and my mom had a small photo shoot in front of the tree!
Erik's family has a big Scandinavian dinner on Christmas Eve night. We had lutefisk, meatballs, lefse, and my Christmas salad. This year Erik and I brought aquavit to share! If I'm going to miss the aquavit at my gathering, we had to share the tradition with Erik's family. We all enjoyed listening to the reading of the Christmas story, and then had a big present exchange! All in all, a wonderful Christmas Eve.
Oh, and I got a camera tripod. Best gift ever. Watch out groups, I will make you pose.
We then headed to my parent's house. Of course we woke up to my dad's trumpet playing. This year's song was Deck the Halls. We enjoyed opening gifts, and then my brother, Andy and I made breakfast.
The day ended with a Christmas dinner at my parent's house. The best part was that Erik's parents joined us this year. It was so nice to have both of our parents together for Christmas. We are so lucky to both have such wonderful parents. This was our first year without Grandma Eleanor, but we did say the Norwegian table prayer in her honor.
I hope you enjoyed a joyful Christmas with the people you love! Merry Christmas!
