Christmas

So, this Christmas was a great one! Branden and I spent Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day at my uncle's house here in Provo. Not only was it the first Christmas that Branden and I spent together, but it was my first White Christmas. I do recall having some snow in Asheville one year, but it was nothing like this. We've had snow here for a while, and like everyone being battered by snow storms, there was already snow covering the ground. Then Christmas eve it started snowing, and continued on through Christmas day.
Not only was the snow a great gift, but so were the presents. I really enjoyed picking out the gifts for my cousins. That was neat. I started picking them out one-by-one, and by the end I was all worried about everyone not liking what they got. All in all though, I think Branden and I did a pretty good job picking everything out. Thanks to everyone who sent me stuff from home! It was great. Some of my favorites are probably my apron, the black fuzzy slippers, the plant, the dvd, and the white snow boots. Those things make winter much more bearable. Branden got Elk sausage, a nice winter coat, and a book by Hugh Nibly. That was the only present that I was able to surprise him with, because he was with me when we found the coat that Grandma and I gave to him.


My favorite thing though (aside from being with family) was probably the baking. Christmas eve I made Branden's mom's apple pie, a chocolate chess pie, and my grandma's carrot cake. The cake wasn't quite as pretty as I usually make them, but I hope the flavor was still there. The apple pie was a pretty big hit. It made me happy, because I just learned how to make those over Thanksgiving, and I've never been one for apple pie, but I like it. I keep getting the crust better every time. Then Christmas Day I went back home and made the pecan pie that I ran out of time to make Christmas eve. I've decided that I just don't like the taste of pecan pie. Maybe I can find a way to tweak the recipe so that I like it in the future. HOWEVER, the best dessert of all, was the pound cake that Aunt Lisa made from my granda's recipe. That was good.

Thanksgiving

Ok, so everyone's been asking me about how Thanksgiving was. I'll admit, it was pretty awesome. Branden and I got to spend almost a whole week in the home he grew up in. We started out with just a low key night when we got in, but everything went really fast after that. I don't even remember what we did on Wednesday, but Thursday for Thanksgiving, we went to Branden's aunt's house. It was neat. They're a really nice family, and I felt pretty comfortable considering that I was completely surrounded by people I didn't know. It was a fun day, and I ate way too much! After we ate, we went to join another family for a second dessert. I completely overate! --But I did get to try Branden's mom's pie. I can't wait to try to bake one myself.

Friday was an awesome day! We went to Palmyra to see all of the church history sites and to do baptisms at the temple. Although it was amazing to actually see where the whole thing started, I already believed in it. And for me, for some reason, seeing it didn't really make a huge difference (perhaps it's because I was freezing). I can't wait to go back one day when it's warmer and I can actually spend some time there.


We also saw the Smith farm, and the two houses that the family lived in. I was so amazed by the story of the women who decided that they wouldn't murmur when they were forced to move out of their beautiful home (that Alvin was building when he passed away) and back into the tiny log cabin. I really don't think I'd be able to do that if someone practically stole my home from me. I'd probably bet bitter for quite a while, but that just shows what amazing people raised Joseph.

After that, we went for food at McDonalds, and then went to check out the site of the printing of the Book of Mormon. It's such a miracle that the Book of Mormon was even printed. And it's neat the way the Church has built an exhibit that incorporates teh building. After all that we went to see the Hill Cummorah before we changed to go to the temple. It's more like a small mountain than a hill. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting anything more than a little mound. It was really neat, and really cold! We went inside the visitor's center to watch a video and then change for the temple.

It was such a perfect way to end the day. After feeling such gratitude for having the gospel in my life, it was great to be able to share that with spirits waiting to be baptized.