Christmas Cookies!!

Another Christmas tradition is baking Christmas cookies to leave for Santa Christmas Eve night. We usually roll out the dough and use cookie cutters and then decorate with different colored frosting. This year was a little different because we didn't have all of December to do our annual Christmas traditions we have only had about a week before Christmas. We just did the drop sugar cookies and then put sprinkles on them. The little kids were funny because they took the sprinkles and made a mound on top of the cookies. (I will show you a picture of Brooklin's festive cookies.) Then once the kids had done a pan of cookies they were off to bed while the left over dough sat there. So I had to finish three more pans of sugar cookies. But I did have some help. While I dropped them on the pan Sami decorated them. We also made these cookies at like ten o' clock at night! We were tired but we could not go one year without making Christmas cookies.Brooklin was so excited to have her bowl full of dough!I told Brooklin to smile with her bowl full of dough and she said, "cheese" instead.

Here is my bowl full of dough for me and Sami! Here are mine and Sami's cookies. Don't they look so pretty.Me and my Sami. She is like my best friend and sister. I love you Sami!

Brooklin only wanted the blue sprinkles, as you can tell.

Here are mine and Sami's favorite sprinkles!

Mine and Sami's finished cookies!

The big bowl of dough.

And here are Brooklin's cookies. On this one she poured half of the container of blue sprinkles in this cookie. Me-ma had to shake off most of it because it was a mound. It was so much fun and I love making cookies with my little cousins. Family is the best!

Gingerbread Houses

The Christmas traditions could not start until my family got here. So number one on the list was gingerbread houses. Every year we have made a gingerbread house since I can remember. Here are some pictures of our annually tradition. Every year I always have so much fun making gingerbread houses. And every year my mom asks me if I still want to make one and every year I always say "yes". I will probably make one every year for the rest of my life, right now by myself, and then with my children, then with my grandchildren.

This is the start of my gingerbread house. Looks like fun to dig in and put it all together.

I finally got the house up with a little assistance from Travis. (He had to hold the walls up.)

Even though he is in the picture he did not help me with the gingerbread house. I did it all by myself this year. Which is probably good because he would of just slapped it on because its not really the guy kind of thing to do. Plus I would want a perfect gingerbread house. Like the kind the professionals make in bakeries. But they don't give you enough icing to do it like in the picture that they stick on front of the box. And that really sucks!

All of my candies that get to go on my house!! I get so excited about this kind of stuff.

And the finished product! Isn't it wonderful. Sometimes I wish houses could look like this during Christmas time. All colorful and festive with the colors and the white to make it look like snow. Its like a fairytale house but we live in reality, gumdrops and icing wouldn't last very long on the outside of any home.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra came to the Sommet Center in Nashville on the 21st of December and they were awesome. When we found our seats the trusses were down leaning on the stage, then they lifted upand the music started and the lights came from every direction. They really know how to put on a show! We had so much fun. It was a 3 hour concert that always had something different going on. During the first song three musicians came down on square screens from the ceiling. They had 6 trusses that were constantly moving up and down. I did have some videos but I can't figure out why they won't work when I try to load them from my card to the computer. I do have a few pictures of the concert that are of our night.On our way to the big Sommet!They had a narrator the entire concert that talked before each song to give a little bit more of the story before they sang.This is what church should look like!!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra's grand finale!

We had a great evening that what so much fun. We are definitely going again next year.

Happy One Year Engagement!

Today is mine and Travis' one year engagement anniversary. I can't believe that it has been one year already. It has flown by so quickly. I promise everyone that there will be a wedding in the future for us but we know that it is just not time yet right now. We love each other so much that we want to follow God's plan for our lives and if that means waiting then that is what we will do. Everything is better in God's timing, plus I am just enjoying being engaged. We want to cherish this because we will only get it once, then we are stuck with each other for life. Its ok, I think that I will keep him. (Training takes way to long. I don't want to have to have to start all over again.) Anyways I want to share some pictures from our special night with everyone and then the video of Travis proposing. Now just remember that he was so nervous that his words don't make sense, but I said yes anyway. I knew what he meant and that's all that matters. Let me set the scene for you all, It was a Friday night and my mom decided to have a Christmas party with both sets of families. (Travis' and mine) Now we were playing the White Elephant game and it came time for his turn and Travis got up and went into our kitchen and he came back with a Starbucks bag that he sat on my lap. Inside was a normal size brown box that I pulled out. He told me to open it, so I did and there was another little size round ring box with a pink ribbon tied around it to keep it closed. I untied the pink ribbon and opened the lid and there sat the ring. And now you can watch the video for yourself to see what happens. Keep in mind that both sets of family are there to scream and yell and cheer. Its was so much fun and so cute that he did it so all of our family could be apart of that special moment.

The reason you hear Ti say, "Umm Trav you better get over here." it is because Sami is crying. She thought that Travis was taking me away from her. It was so cute.

Here is my new added family and I love everyone of them!!

Look at us now, one year later and we love each other more today than we did when Travis proposed. If I love him this much now then I can't wait to feel how much I love him after being together 50 years.

Thank You

I would like to say thank you for all of my presents. I loved them all and I expect them to be here by Christmas. No I'm just kidding. I am having a lot fun fun with this gift thing.

Makin Up for Lost Time

So as you all know we just had family here not to long ago and I never got to share it with you. On a Friday night while Jazmyn and Shane were here (Travis' sister and brother-in-law) we took them to down town Nashville. We had to grab a bite to eat at the famous Wildhorse Saloon. It was so much fun because it was packed with people just having a blast. When we sat down at our table there was a huge group of people down on the dance floor learning some kind of dance. Then they all danced it full out in front of us but there was this certain man who caught our attention. He was this older man who didn't really have rhythm but knew all of the dance steps.

Tryin to learn to dance.

My wonderful fiancee. Isn't he so fine!!

This is the older man who was still dancing, by himself, even after everyone sat down.

Boys and their toys!!

People were doin' the moves to the YMCA while taking a bite in between each move.

This bartender got up on the bar during the YMCA and he was just dancing away.

The famous "Wall of Fame". There are signed pictures of singers who have sang on the Wildhorse Saloon stage.

After we filled our belly's full of the tastiest food, we walked them down the famous Nashville Street called Broadway. It's a street filled with bars who have in bands and Legends is being the most touristy. It also has touristy shops, clothing stores, an awesome tattoo shop, and an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shop. We took them into the famous Ernest Tubb Record Shop where individuals or bands would play after they were done playing at they Ryman Auditorium across the street. There is so much history in just that little store and there are so many things to look at that you would never get bored. If you watch the famous movie "Coal Minors Daughter" you will see Loretta Lynn play on the stage at the Earnest Tubb Record Shop after she was done singing at the Ryman. Watch it the movie first, then watch it again with Kristi. Its hilarious!! Downtown would of been even more fun if it would of been 17 degrees outside. It was so cold that night that our mouths would be so cold we couldn't talk right.

Jazmyn was trying to take in all of the country music history.

I love this city. It's my home!!

The famous Broadway street!

"Batman we need you!" JK

We also took them into Boot Country where when you buy a pair of boots you will receive to free. Shane had a lot of fun there. Just look at his picture and and in your head just add a piece of straw. It fits him.

Just add some straw!!

Aisles and aisles of cowboy boots.

At that point we were so cold that we went back to the truck and drove to Starbucks in Bellevue to get warmed up with some hot coffee. We sat there because we thought that his parents were going to come in early. We had fun just catchin' up with each others lives.

These are pictures of my soon to be sister posing for the camera. She may not like me putting these pictures but I think they are funny. Sorry Jaz, I love ya.

Aren't they so cute together.

Sorry it was such a long post but we did a lot of fun things together and I want to share them with everyone.

We had a blast with them and we already miss them.