Is it really over?

Well, it's three days past Christmas, and I think we're officially done with our busy schedule. We're not doing anything in particular for New Years Eve, so it'll be pretty quiet around here.

First things first. Happy and sad announcements...

I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to Julie and Andrew Schumacher, and Julie's family, for the loss of her grandmother at Christmas. I only had the chance to talk with her a couple times over the years. However, seeing that she was a strong polish woman with amazing vitality, made me love her immediately. I know you will miss her completely. We're praying for your family.

Next, on the opposite spectrum, I want to give a big Congratulations to Mike and Jackie Krutz on their wedding! The were married in November, in Texas. Yesterday, Dave and Yvonne Krutz put on a beautiful reception for them, at the Lambeau Field Atrium, for all of us who weren't at the wedding, to be able to celebrate with them. We had a great time, and are so glad to be part of such a great group of friends. Congrats!

We also celebrated Shelly Stock's soon-to-be motherhood, with a baby shower in Wayside. Despite a very nerve-wracking drive through the dense fog, we all showed up, and had a wonderful time. I had a blast playing the 1950's version of Baby Bingo, with many terms we have no clue about now. I even won! Woohoo! Thanks to her calling "enema" I got bingo. :) Boy, time's have changed. Congrats again to Shelly.

Back to Christmas. On Christmas Day, we started at noon, at Carol Puyleart's house with a delicious meal. We all took part in our gift exchange, which is always a great time. I ended up with adorable condiment dishes, which Julie S brought. We are so blessed to have such a great family. They're always so fun to catch up with.

From there, we headed down to Neenah, for some family time at the Kiel's house. Aristana had a blast playing with the kids, and the adults chatted away the whole evening.

On the 26th, we joined the Tesch side of the family for tree hopping. We started out at the Puyleart's again, and worked on finishing up their leftovers. Next, was Sharen's (and Chuck's)apartment. Aristana had a blast staring at the white, lit, spinning Christmas tree in the bedroom, and the upside-down tree in the living room. Not to mention, the huge array of snacks kept her going too.

...and again, we are left saying, "I can't believe it's over already." I just have to say, if you are one of those people who says "I can't wait for Christmas to be over!," then you need to seriously re-evaluate your life and priorities. This special time of year is meant to be joyous. We are celebrating the birth of our savior. Allowing yourself to get caught up in the commercialism of the holiday, is your own fault. It IS stressful. It IS hectic. But NEVER EVER EVER EVER should we lose sight of the very reason we celebrate the holiday in the first place. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and especially our children to have fun, and remember that there is magic in this beautiful season! We grow up so fast, and forget that there are people who count on us to make it special!

Thank you to each and every one of you who helped make this the best Christmas yet. I thank God for the health and happiness of Aristana...nothing else matters! I am still in awe, every day, that God would trust us with his child. I love this little girl so much!!!