Seven years and counting..

Seven years ago we made our vows in the Newman Center where we had met a decade before,

and these past years have brought their fair share of adventures and challenges.

Changes big and small!

I thank God for the great blessing of having you in my life as friend and companion.

I thank you for your love and laughter, for your example of faith and commitment to fun.

Here's to Seven x Seven more!!

I love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

May you and yours have a Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday:Welcome Winter!

Ten on Tuesday: Christmas Edition

1. When do you put up and take down your Christmas decorations?

Put up varies depending on work/call schedule but hopefully sometime early December, coming down after Epiphany

2. What do you do to simplify the holiday season?

Write a few Christmas cards at a time, try to be realistic when accepting party/function invitations; and usually still end up stressing out and worrying that I missing the whole Advent experience.

3. What do you do to remind yourself and your family what the Christmas season is all about?

Advent wreath, music, set up two creches in our house.

4. How do you spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Depends whose family we are with: With C.'s family Christmas Eve is the traditional Polish dinner of 3-4 types of fish and the sharing of the Oplatki. Christmas is opening of gifts and eating good food. My family has far less traditions, eating vegtable lasanga on Christmas Eve, opening gifts while eating pasteries on Christmas morning.

5. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Going to midnight mass

6. Did you do the whole Santa thing growing up? What do you like/not like about continuing the tradition?

Did the whole Santa thing growing up and will most likely continue the tradition with E. and hope to transition to St. Nicholas as she begins to question.

7. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

Sweet Gingerbread

8. How do you take your egg nog?

Not if I can possibly avoid it, Yuck!

9. What is your favorite Christmas carol and why?

O' Come All Ye Faithful, I think it balances really well the excitement of his birth with the reverence of such an amazing gift and event. (Really hard to choose, I LOVE Christmas carols!!)

10. When was the last time you had a white Christmas?

Last year! (We were in Maine) This year may be a little tougher as we are headed to VA.

Merry Christmas to all and especially our host Chelsea!

Please visit Roots and Rings enjoy other Christmas traditions and answers

Quick Takes Vol #41

1. I find one of the joys of marriage is leaving room to celebrate the child in your spouse. We are traveling over the holidays so we have been debating tree vs. no tree, live vs. not. Realizing that we did want a tree and truly we both preferred a live, decided to get a small one that could easily taken down. Yeah right, we have 7 1/2 foot ceilings in our family room and had to trim the tree down.
2. Classes finished and grades turned in I can now focus on the fun, frenzy of the season. Still shopping to do and a lot of wrapping to go. Break out a tasty drink and "Its a Wonderful Life". What favorite old movie helps you tackle a time consuming task?
3. Having trimmed our tree, we have also added a new phrase to E. repetoire "Too High" which is her opinion of where we have placed most of the ornaments.
4. Attended the Advent/Christmas program of a younger friend last night which was wonderful. The perfect balance of reflective and celebratory. Well performed but with the fun quirkiness of many little children trying to sing and dance together.
5. E. received a box of crayons from St Nicholas and is starting to show a decent attention span for coloring when she is not demonstrating that they make excellent drum sticks, stirring sticks.
6. Having sent out my cards I can now eagerly watch for the mailman (ours is) and wonder what wonderful greetings will be delivered.
7. Plans for the weekend, finishing some homemade gifts and wrapping, wrapping, (and maybe some fun in the snow...if it actually snows as predicted).

Please visit Conversion Diary to enjoy many other wonderful Quick Takes hosted by Jen

Small Successes:Third week of Advent

1. We have a tree with lights, decorations and everything!!
2. Have turned in my grades for the semester! It was a good semester but it feels so good to have grades done and be able to fully focus on family and the season.
3. As of when the mail is picked up today, my Christmas cards are addressed and mailed. I love the idea of my good wishes and prayers traveling across the country and even across the ocean to friends and family.

Today I am offering thanks for:

the graces and blessings of friendships

the great fun of 'trimming a tree' with love ones

introducing family traditions to E.

love given and received

warm tasty Dunkin Chai

Don't forget to visit Faith and Family Live and celebrate your successes

Sharing the Wealth: Great Blog Find

I have for several months now been a loyal reader of This Heavenly Life a wonderful blog written and hosted by Sarah. She writes funny, thought provoking posts about life, parenting and faith, coupled with wonderful poetry and beautiful pictures. Today is a perfect example as she shares of her desire to pray for her children's future spouses and their parents. Plus her youngest is the same age as Elisabeth and it is great fun to compare notes and offer support as toddlerhood appears over the horizon.

And as if those were not enough incentive to visit and enjoy she is hosting a give-a-way in honor of her 1 year blog-iversary, so go learn, laugh and maybe win something.

Congrats Sarah on completing your first year, may the blogesphere be blessed with your writing, pictures and poetry for years to come.