Christmas 2007!

Wow, I love Christmas and this year is no exception! Ty and I had a great time driving to Idaho Falls, Idaho to be with his family up there for the holidays! It was great to have the whole family together (minus his sister and her family who couldn't make it out and were greatly missed) and a big bonus, it was truly a white christmas. I don't it stopped snowing the whole time we were there and it was cold and it was wet and it was wonderful! I am convinced after this trip that I need four seasons and I need snow, it all just added to the magic of Christmas. This is a picture of our drive out of Idaho heading to Utah:

We had a great time playing games with everyone, having a Jason Bourne marathon (have a mentioned lately how much I heart Jason Bourne), watched family videos of some of the boys wrestling. This was awesome because it was back in the 80's and there were more mullets, pegged pants and acid wash jeans than I could handle. Than of course there was the delicious food that never ran out, a big ping pong tournament (I was out the first round, I need to practice), and of course there was opening presents.
This is the whole group on Christmas eve, we had just opened up the traditional Grandma Manning pajama bottoms that she makes every year. They are so comfortable!

We also had a great little Nativity scene with all the little kids and that was just one of the most adorable things to watch!

Ty was really kind to me this Christmas, my BIG gift was new portable iPod speakers that is also a clock with alarm. I have been wanting one of these for a loooooong time and especially one with an alarm clock. Now I can listen to any song I want when I wake up, maybe I will hate alarms less now. And I can music while I get ready in the morning and in the kitchen when I am cooking! I love it! And he hooked me up with a walking foot for my sewing machine so that I can finish my quilt that I have had unfinished for about two years now. I can't wait! One of the biggest highlights for Ty and I was going to Rexburg to see how the town and the BYU-Idaho campus has changed over the years. The Rexburg Temple just got completed and the day that we were there they were having an open house tour. Ty and I didn't think we were going to be able to get into the tour because we didn't have tickets but we thought we were ask anyways and because we were from out of town, they let us join the tour group. Well, to make a long story short, it turned out to be a VIP tour and our tour guide was Elder Bednar and his wife! Ty and I were stunned, we couldn't believe it! So pretty much to sum it up, we spent an hour walking around the temple listening to an Apostle of the Lord tell us different things about the rooms and the temple in general! On our way out of the temple and back to the meeting house where the tour began, Ty and I got to walk and talk with Elder Bednar and we told him that we were graduates from BYU-I and how much we loved going to school there. That made him smile, and for a man that is all business like he is, we felt victorious!

It was about 5 degrees outside when we took this picture but we had to get one to remember the whole experience!

It was hard to leave the family and head back to lonely Yuma, but we will be back with his family in June for a family reunion in Florida (Disneyworld, here we come), and than another one with my family in Aug when my parents get home from their mission. I can't wait for this summer to come!