Goodbye 2008

I want to write a blog about our Christmas in Miami, but it'll have to wait. 

I am busy busy busy today! I did, however, want to quickly sign in and say that 2008 has been the most amazing year of my life, thus far.

In this year I have gotten married, moved to North Carolina, started my seminary education, started working for the Y, watched some of my good friends (and sister!) get married, watched some of my good friends graduate from school, watched some good friends get engaged, and even some good friends gave birth.

It has been an eventful year. This time last year I had declared 2008 the Year of Alex & Kristel (you know, kind of like the Summer of George). And it has truly been that. We have been so blessed and loved this year as we began our family. I loved every minute of 2008...even the tough times. Thank you to all have been there for us and supported us throughout this amazing year.

I hope everyone has a great new year! I think it's gonna be another good one.

Christmas Eve Eve

[thanks for the Christmas cards!]

I wanted to blog one last time before Alex and I head off to Miami for Christmas!

Since we are flying down and already had presents to bring for our families we decided to open up the gifts for each other tonight. As soon as Alex walked through the door from work we were ready to rip open our gifts!

I'm not gonna lie...we got each other some pretty awesome presents this year! We had to make it memorable since it is our first Christmas together as a married couple. :-) I know it's not all about the gifts...but you can't deny the joy you feel when you are able to give something special to someone you love. 

After the presents we made pizza [yum!] and watched "A Christmas Story." Alex always talks about it and I had never seen it. So I figured now was a good a time as any. I enjoyed it. 

I'll add some pictures so you can see how our first Christmas Eve Eve went. Can't wait to fly down to Miami tomorrow morning! [We have to be up at 3 am! A million thank you's to Kena for driving us to the airport at such an ungodly hour!]

Merry Christmas to all. We love you!

[Alex got me new gray converse to replace the black ones that I've had since high school! Can you see the difference?]

help

I have mentioned before that Alex and I will be going on a mission trip to Mexico in April. We're both really excited for this opportunity. This will be my first mission trip anywhere and I am eager to see what is in store. 

We will be running a baseball camp for the kids in the town we're going to and sharing the gospel as well. I'll be snapping many pictures to share with everyone as well.

There's just one little thing...we need support! All kinds of support. :-) First of all, we need prayer. I'm a little nervous because, as I said, this is my first mission trip. I'm not sure what to expect and I am hoping for God to give me boldness. Also, neither one of us plays baseball...so let's pray we don't get seriously injured out there! ;-) Pray for God to prepare the hearts of all the people we will be sharing with so that they may be receptive to His message. 

Next, if you have any baseball hats or gloves in good condition that you can donate, please do! We want to be able to give away equipment to these kids to enjoy and have fun with. 

Finally, we need financial support. The trip is $845.00 per person. And there's two of us. If you can and are willing to help please let me know and I'll give you the details on how you can give. There's a tax break in it for ya. ;-)

But seriously, this trip means a lot to us and we need to be able to pay for it. So again, if you can help...even just a little bit...please let me know. Every little bit helps. 

Thanks for your prayer and support. We love you guys. 

Nothing Like The Holidays

Last night Alex and I decided to go to the movies and see "Nothing Like the Holidays."

I was really in the mood to be immersed in hispanic culture. Sometimes I just need to hear people speaking Spanish and being loud and crazy. :-)

Well, Alex and I walked into the theater a bit late and were shocked to find it completely empty! There were no people in there! No love for the hispanic movie. 

It was okay...we were able to sit where ever we want and talk and put our feet up on the chairs. It wasn't the best movie ever or anything, but we enjoyed it. 

It was exactly what we needed. Alex even busted out his famous laugh...you Miami people know what I'm talking about. 

Now I'm really pumped about being in Miami for Christmas. We will see you soon!

P.S. Luis Guzman is hilarious.

A YMCA Christmas

Yesterday was the last day of work before Christmas break. In honor of that we had a party for the kids. It was a lot of fun. I was expecting destruction and chaos...but it really wasn't that bad. 

We ate pizza, drank soda, ate candy, decorated cookies, played games...and my favorite activity was decorating one kid from each class as a Christmas tree. The student that we decorated from my class was a good sport because those kids did a number on him. 

Here are a few photos. :-)

It's that time of year

I know I've been absent from the blog world. I was in the middle of finals and putting all my energy into studying.

But it's over now and I can breathe!

It's definitely Christmas time in Wake Forest. Many houses have lights, trees, and wreaths up. Some houses have gone a little overboard, but hey, if it makes them feel jolly they should go for it. 

Alex and I were able to go on a tour of the historic homes in Wake Forest. It was beautiful. We got to go inside and see how people decorate and learn a little bit of the history behind these magnificent buildings. Now I want to convince my parents to buy one of those houses and give it us. :-) It would make a great first year anniversary present!

Last week our church had their annual Christmas concert. It was phenomenal. Everything went flawlessly and I really enjoyed the music. Alex was able to participate by playing guitar in one song and creating some loops. The concert really helped to bring about the Christmas spirit. 

Also some of us from small group were able to rake this HUGE yard for an elderly couple. It was my first time raking and I see what a chore it is. But it was fun and we were able to finish in record time [about 4 hours]. Michelle posted about it here. 

Finally, last night we had our small group Christmas party. We had fun playing games, eating, and chatting. Alex and I are blessed to have found a great group of people to connect with in Wake Forest. 

We hope you all are enjoying this season and I'll try blog more often. ;-)

Elf Yourself!

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