365 days ago

Yep. Best year of my life.
Love you Stuey, times infinity.

the most wonderful time of the year

This year was mine and Stu's first Christmas together as our own little family! But that definitely doesn't mean we spent much time "just us" since we have two families here to share the holidays with. Christmas Eve was spent with Stu's fam and we did Christmas day with mine, it was the best!

Ave and I making Jodie's orange roll recipe... Mmmm. Actually we were really nervous we were going to ruin them hahaa.

Graf read Luke II to the family as we sat around the fire.

Bens and Bels opened our gift to them, it was so fun to see their excitement!

Grandpa Milne kicked my butt in Wii baseball and bowling...

Stu and I did open gifts from each other Christmas Eve and I was so excited to see Stu's face when he opened his new set of manly tools! Actually he already saw them because I bought them on Black Friday, but I wanted to wrap them anyway :)

Christmas morning we headed over to my parents to make breakfast in our Christmas jammies. It was amazing! Big Christmas breakfast is kind of a Willcox fam tradition and we aren't allowed to open any presents until after we're all completely stuffed. No objections from me.

Dad and Rebecca were a little drained after all the gift-opening..

We sat around surrounded by wrapping paper and played games for a while, karaoke-d it up on the Wii, ate some leftover breakfast, sang some more on the Wii...

...And did more of the same at the Milne house later that day.

A great first Christmas for the (Stu and Angie) Milne family.

The Spirit of Christ

As Stu and I put together our ideas for Christmas gifts this year, we found it really difficult to come up with even just 5 things that we felt we wanted for Christmas. It wasn't that we don't want things, it was more that we don't need anything. Originally, we decided we would be thrifty in our gifts to each other enforcing a price limit because we've been trying to save for a house. Then we went shopping for our families and had such a fun time trying to figure out what we could give them to make them light up on Christmas morning. In my family, it was kind of a quest to see who gave who the best gift, or the best reaction from the gift. Giving is the best part of Christmas! So in the end we decided that we wouldn't buy any gifts for each other and put the money toward helping a family in need this season. We just couldn't help but think of the families in our ward that are facing so many hardships this year, and we were just so excited at the idea of making their Christmas! So we went out late one night with two of my sisters and bought lots of fun goodies and a gift card for groceries.

President Monson said that to feel the real spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ. That was what we wanted to emphasize this year as we celebrated our first Christmas together. By spreading love and finding ways to serve others, we found a way to fill our home with the real Christmas spirit.

We pray that we may always strive to find this feeling in our lives, not just during this holiday season, and that we may try to emulate the love of our Savior through small, kind acts of service.

Click here for a moving message about this season.

LOVING LIFE

Is it weird to say that I feel like the most blessed girl in the whole world? Lately, time has been whipping by so fast that I haven't had time to think of all the happy, wonderful things in my life even though I'm surrounded by them. Thankfully, school is over and now I have a little break from work (wheeww) and due to a nasty little illness, I spent some time in bed yesterday just loving on my little life.

.In four days, Stu and I will have been sealed to each other for ONE year. What a blessing he is to me. I can't imagine my life without that man. He is my rock, my comfort, and my comedic relief :)

.I finished all my prerequisites for the dental hygiene program, and it feels so good. Stu and I have been discussing some options lately about where our life is headed and it just feels great to have that part behind us!
.Stuart is amazing. He is working so hard to provide for our little family and just passed his real estate test! Just one more to go and he is licensed as an agent! I know it's been so hard for him with school and work and his other responsibilities, but he did it! I am so proud of him and love him so much.
.We finally had to turn the heater on at night because it was getting so cold! "Winter" is here! I love it! Now I can wear lots of these:

. I. LOVE. MY. JOB. I can say honestly that I enjoy going to work every morning! Even if it's at 7am! I am learning loads and I really just have the best co-workers ever.
. We have the greatest family in the world!
. Christmas is in 2 days and I just can't wait :) I finally turned my station to 99.9 (only AFTER Thanksgiving was officially over) and I am just engulfed in the Christmas spirit! Our little tree is so so cute and our home is ready for a visit from Santa!

Merry Christmas everyone! Life is good.