This Christmas

And now, I will blatantly plagiarize a post from one of the coolest people who will let me call them a friend. You will all be better off peeking inside her head.



Not to mention, she writes better than I do.



So without further ado:



I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. I love that people are more willing to talk about spiritual matters. I love that the birth of my Savior is celebrated. I love the weather. I love being able to wear scarfs and coats and drink hot chocolate. I love that my entire family is together in the same place. I love that people are more giving around the holidays. It all makes me giddy.



But I really hate the way commercialism has dwarfed Christmas. I hate that I thought "oh no... presents" this morning instead of "Praise you Jesus!". My thought process reminded me of something I read on The Rose's blog a few weeks ago: Advent Conspiracy. They posted the following video and it really got me thinking. Hopefully it will get you thinking too.

Home Again

Hey All,

Here are some pics of our new place. We are now living a few blocks from Waikiki and within a few miles of our offices, and bike each day. Personally, my commute has been cut down from 4 hours a day to 20 minutes. Hallelujah!

So here are some pics.

Living Room

Guest Bed

Freaking Tiny Bathroom

Hallway from Bathroom - Living Room on the left, Guest Bed on the right, Master straight ahead.

Master

Kitchen

View from Balcony

Balcony

Lily's new favorite spot - she loves people-watching

Balcony at night. I love Christmas lights!

Auntie Tiff

I'M AN AUNT!

Which kind of freaks me out, because I feel like I should be older to claim this status. Or maybe I'm already there, and I just feel like I am too young.

In any case, there is a brand-new Dyer in the family, and I am uber-excited. John and Amber have had their first, and he is beautiful. I think this is the first time I've hated that I am over here. I almost want to sell my TV and buy a plane ticket. (David just had an aneurism)

So check out the cuteness that is Brainchild Dyer - also known as Benjamin Charles Dickey Dyer:

I love this one. He looks so intent! "Yes, you are my father, and I shall call you 'Dad' "

With Aunt Ruthie

With Mom

Anyway, I hope to get to see him sometime before his first birthday! Love from afar, little one!