Bless This House... And All the Crazy People In It.

Ryan and I had a kind of last minute Christmas Party last week. Because it was so last minute, not very many people were able to come so it was just six of us. Luckily, the two couples that were able to come are some of my favorite people. :) So we divided up into boys versus girls (or in this case- husbands versus wives) and got into cars and did a scavenger hunt! It was SO much fun! We did so many things. Here's our list:

-- Wash someone’s car windows 
-- Help someone load their groceries onto the check-out line. (extra points if you help them load them in their car)
-- Find a house lit up with only white Christmas Lights 
-- Christmas Carol at a member of the Bishoprics house
-- Penny from before 2005
-- A schedule of activities or pamphlet or information of volunteer opportunities from a local nursing home –OR- hospital.
-- Christmas Wrapping Paper
-- A Decorated Mailbox 
-- A Stuffed Animal (extra point if it’s Christmas themed) 
-- Inflatable decoration 
-- A Restaurant Menu
-- A Nativity (extra points if you dress up and participate)
-- 3 Non-Perishable food items to donate to a food pantry 
-- Sweep someone’s front porch 
-- Leave five uplifting notes on cars in a parking lot
-- Put away 10 stray shopping carts 
-- Take Out Someone’s Trash
-- Deliver 5 boxes of cookies! (Anonymous or not—your choice!!) 

     Anyway, So we went out and had fun trying to get as many items crossed off as possible in an hour (we took pictures, I'll post them later), and then we met back at our house, added up our points and the winners got to pick the movie! The wives won the scavenger hunt with a total of 114 points to the husbands 77 points, So we picked National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Before we watched the movie, we played a quick game of dirty Santa (or Yankee swap, whatever you want to call it, I call it fun) where Ryan and I got some great stuff!  I got this great Magnet!

 This is perfect because we have been wanting to get better at Family Home Evening So this will be awesome to put on our front door Sunday nights so that Ryan can see it when he leaves Monday morning! It's sure to help us make Family Night a more regular part of our busy lives.

Ryan picked out this frame that we both love!

When we first moved here I was excited but also terrified. I didn't think that I would be able to love anywhere as much as I loved Jacksonville. I thought no one would like me and that I would just be lonely all the time.  How happy I am to be wrong! Now, our home is a revolving door for our friends. They come and go as they please and we wouldn't have it any other way. I fervently pray and thank my Father in Heaven for giving us a place to belong here. May He bless our home and all the crazy people in it, whether they live here or not. :)

Hotel Living

So, Ryan and I are moving into our new place tomorrow. We are really excited about this new step in getting settled here in Texas. Mostly though, we are excited to not be living in hotels anymore.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of pros to living in hotels and when I was younger it was definitely one of my bucket list things to live in a hotel. But now that I can successfully say that I've crossed that off of my bucket list, I'm pretty sure that I won't be needing to have this experience anymore.

We've been staying in the Quality Inn and Suites in Irving, and I have to say, as low-budget hotels go, this is absolutely the place to stay. They are remodeling so they have some quirks, but all in all it's a really lovely place to stay, and it's definitely worth the $50 a night.  Free breakfast, nice gym and business center, and super comfy beds. :) We stayed in a different room every week so we're well acquainted with all the different areas of the building. Personally, I liked the 3rd floor the most, but that's not surprising since they are renovating from the top floor down, and all of the rooms are pretty good. And the breakfast is delicious.  There's just ONE THING about hotel life that I really really dislike.

HOUSEKEEPING 

Now let me be clear. The housekeeping staff in this hotel is excellent. Really. Top shelf. The problem is me.

I hate it when people clean my space.  I just hate it.  I don't even like it when people do my laundry at the dry cleaners. I don't know what's wrong with me. Some people would kill to have a maid service come in and take care of their house. Some people just get stressed when it's time for cleaning, but not me. Nope, for me, I find it therapeutic and relaxing. I know what you're thinking, "Wait 'til you have kids. It won't be so relaxing." and that may be true. but for now, I'll happily hang the Do Not Disturb sign on the hotel door and wash out my own cups. :)

~Cheryl