...dreaming of a white Christmas...

Blizzard 2009 brought a cozy Christmas Eve for just Joshua and me. We stayed tucked inside where it was warm for the majority of the day. First thing, Joshua surprised me with gorgeous bright-pink roses, and we finished decorating our first Christmas tree together. Since we decided not to get gifts for one another and spend a little more on our family and friends, we ended up writing dates and events that stuck out about 2009 on round ornaments for a special gift we could hold onto for next year:

January 24, 2009 Our first date
February 1, 2009 "Worth the risk"- the night Joshua told me he loved me
July 4, 2009 The 4th of July at Lake Eufaula with the family
Bought a home
...
The list went on until we had successfully written a dozen of our favorite memories with one another from the previous year.


After taking advantage of the chilly weather and resting, we took the puppies out to play in the snow. Bailey LOVED it! She pounced about and tried doing everything within her power to play in the snow. Laila on the other hand...poor thing! She was drenched in a matter of seconds. The below freezing temperature ended up making icicles on her pretty white coat. I ended up drying her off and using her pretty pink parka the next time we had to take her out.

We enjoyed as much peace and quiet in the house until we decided to venture out to the local Wal-mart. (Did we NEED anything at Wal-mart? No.) The neighborhood wasn't too bad...at first. As soon as we hit the first main intersection, the snow started blowing so hard you couldn't even see where we were going. The windshield wipers would clear off the window and the snow would accumulate before it could go back up again. I had never seen anything like it before.

Finally, we made it to the parking lot (which was complete chaos with stuck vehicles and crashes). Surveying our options, we decided that parking was not an option. Joshua dropped me off at the door to get the two things we listed while driving to the store. I picked up a gingerbread kit while I was there to pass some time and stopped at the redbox rental while I was walking back out the door...nothing worth even paying the dollar for.

McDonald's.

I was starving for warm food...

He pulled into the drive-thru...closed.

After hitting our heads in agreement that this roadtrip was not one of the smartest decisions we had made, we drove back to the house. I didn't know if we were going to make it. They weren't kidding when they said "Blizzard". It was nothing but a windy, snow-white, freezing-cold, mess.

Once inside, we decided we were going to stay inside. We took advantage of the frozen foods in the freezer and our fully-functional, yet not-so-lovely, yellow stovetop. We made shrimp pasta with herbs and fresh asparagus tips with a garlic-soy base...ymmm. It wasn't our traditional Christmas dinner, but it was definitely a day to remember.

Bailey, Laila, Joshua, and I curled up on the couch and started to watch the parades on television.

*ring, ring*

It was the neighbor. He had made the same mistake we had and was stuck in the entry of the neighborhood. Well, we did the neighborly thing and (ignoring the smart parts of our brains) we bundled up and reunited ourselves with the seats of the pickup. On our way for the rescue!

This time, it was pitch black outside, and the snow drifts had piled even higher.

We drove for a while...
...dead end.

There were cars covered with snow to their windows, and there was no way we could make it down the street.

We made a U-turn and took a detour route.

Stuck.

Stuck, stuck, stuck.

No snow-shovel.

No 4wheel drive.

Stuck.

Luckily, our other next-door neighbor pulled up behind us (and being the wonderful cop and citizen he is...he dug us out with another man that lived nearby).

No, we were not heroes...we couldn't even get to the stuck vehicle we had set out to help.

However, all of us got home safely thanks to good samaritans of the neighborhood.

That night, we slept peacefully in a cold home with concrete floors and broken walls. The same broken walls that we have put love and sweat into over the past few months. The same floors that carry the sound of 8 little paws across the rooms. The same walls that hold a very blessed couple that are very much in love with one another.

With that being said, I am thankful for the cold stable that housed a man and a woman that were totally wrapped up in love with each other...and their Son. This Christmas Eve, just like that night in Bethlehem, we were right where we were supposed to be...

Together...

Shining the light on what is really important in life.

It's not just traditions and gifts around a Christmas tree. It's what you make of it when the world around you is quiet and dark and you are face-to-face with the reason for living.

Love.