The Christmas Story

So, I forgot to take pictures of my Christmas dinner table. Whoops! Everyone said that the food was edible, and no one has died yet...so I guess I did an acceptable job. Christmas was definitely a whirlwind..but worth it. We celebrated Christmas eve and Christmas morning with Chris' family. Then we drove back to Austin and celebrated Christmas evening with my fam. The day after Christmas Jen and I spent the morning/early afternoon exchanging items around Austin. Then Chris and I went down to San Antonio to spend a day with Grandma, Grandpa and my parentals/sister. It was definitely good to spend time with everyone, even if it was brief.

In other news, I have been spending my Christmas break at the dentists office. I recently found out that I have several (putting it mildly) cavities and I need my wisdom teeth taken out. Insurance didn't approve my wisdom teeth extraction in time to get it done before Christmas, so I have been getting some cavities filled instead. What a wonderful way to spend your Christmas break, right? For anyone who doesn't know, I am deathly afraid of the dentist. I have been only going to the dentist over the last several years for emergency situations. So, they would fix one or two teeth here and there...but I never took care of any preventative measures. So now I am stuck with fixing what I have been putting off since I graduated high school. Not fun!! I am scheduled to get my wisdom teeth removed on Jan 16th if insurance ever approves it.

Christmas was definitely short, but fun. I am glad I got to see everyone over the past couple of days. Now on to spending the rest of our budget on fixing my teeth :)


Abby opening her present

The above pics are of my nephew, Evan, opening presents on Christmas morning

New Traditions???

Chris and I are about to head to Temple to spend Christmas Eve with his family. We are going to church, and then coming home for a tamale dinner. Tomorrow morning we are opening gifts, eating lunch, and then coming back to Austin. Then, my family is coming over for Christmas dinner and more gifts. Who is making this dinner you might ask? Well, me. I know, I think it is humorous as well. I have already made the turkey because I won't have time tomorrow...it looks edible, and smells pretty good too. On tomorrow's agenda is making the mac n cheese, stuffing, and green beans. I conned mom into making the rolls...one less thing on my list. I will hopefully have some pictures to share with you guys come tomorrow...

I hope everyone has a very, merry Christmas!! I love you all!

My Christmas Tree

I have quickly discovered that updating my facebook status now requires me to update other things as well. So demanding!! (just kidding) Anywho...this picture doesn't do the tree justice. It makes the corner it is sitting in look very bland in this picture. But, I think it is pretty in real life and that's what matters- I suppose
Thanksgiving updates- I forgot my camera in Austin, so I have no pictures to share. BOO!! But, it definitely was a great time. I think the final head-count was 31 people. It was good to see everyone. I am so thankful to have such a big, caring, funny family. Thank you God that we all have each other even in the face of material destruction. The end

Galveston update

Sam says I am overdue for an update- so here it is. I have been really busy at work of late and have been exhausted at night, so I have been neglecting my blog. This past weekend Chris and I went to Galveston so he could help dad with the house. I was able to take pictures of the house at it is now if you guys want to see them. It was definitely surreal walking through the house. It is all basically one big room now, since it has been ripped down to the studs. I walked into my old bedroom and almost lost it. But, on the bright side- Mom and dad are really blessed that they are able to live in Jenn's apartment. There are many people in Galveston who are a lot worse off. I hope everyone is doing well and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I miss all of you Nebraskians. Hopefully I will have happier pics to share of Thanksgiving when we get back from Dallas.

In mom and dad's room-looking into the kitchen

The living room-filled with kitchen cabinets

Looking into the garage

The hallway

Mom's 50th Bday

Hooray for Mom! We were all able to get together on Sunday and celebrate Mom's 50th birthday. We met mom and dad in Gruene and had dinner at the Gristmill. It definitely was a nice relaxing moment in a time of many stressors. Happy Birthday mom, you are the best! I love you so much and am so blessed to have you as my mother!

A few pics of mom/dad's house

The front of their house- doesn't look too bad. Mom lost her car because the water was up to the console on the inside.



This boat is not supposed to be there.



These boats were thrown/floated onto the highway on the way onto the island



One of the spare bedrooms, you can see the water line on the bedspread



This is my old room. The chest was turned over, and you can see the water line again. The floors are covered with mud and dad said they are buckled in many areas as well.


This is a blurry pic of the kitchen, I included it so you could see the amount of mud on the floor


This is a peek of our street.

Dad and grandpa went back down to Galveston today to clean up. They took some of the fallen trees out of the yard and sprayed all of the walls with bleach to help prevent the mold from spreading even further. The insurance adjuster is supposed to come take a look at the house tomorrow morning. Mom and dad will be living in jennifer's apartment until their house is liveable. That's pretty much all the updates for now. We are all taking it one day at a time and putting everything in God's hands.

I can do all things through Christ....even rebuild!

Hurricane Ike has come and gone, but the devastation in Galveston is long-lasting. The pictures that I have seen are engraved in my mind. Every picture and story I hear touches my heart in a different way. To see buildings and houses that have been a part of my life for so long, that are now nothing but a pile of rubble, is hard to comprehend. We have hard several reports on that status of my parents house, but don't know which one is true. According to some, we had at least 1-1/2 feet of water in the house (and maybe my mom's car-which is in the driveway). The mayor suggests that power won't be restored for another month and that the island won't be 'liveable' until Christmastime. The city officials allowed a 'look and leave' today for residents to go to their houses and assess the damage-but they had to leave the island by 6pm. Well, too many residents came to the island and the plan did not go as anticipated. So, now we are back to no one being allowed on the island until further notice. Mom and dad are currently in San Antonio and Jennifer, Abby, and Alley-cat are with Chris and I. I am without words. Jesus, please be with all those who have lost everything-including houses, loved ones, and personal belongings. Please give us all the strength to rebuild and renew. We can do all things only through you, Lord.