Celebrate with Family

After Christmas with the Relic side of the family, we trekked back to Oklahoma for the Nolan/Meigs festivities.
My parents' church held a special Christmas service last Wednesday evening. Worship consisted of beautiful versions of classic carols and contemporary songs, and the band did an amazing version of Little Drummer Boy modeled after Church on the Move's performance last year. It put me in the Christmas spirit!
The next day, we baked sugar cookies with my cousins Bryce and Bailey.

 Bryce wasn't around much for the actual baking. He wanted to get to the icing!

 Bunny ears will always be cool in grade school :)

Bailey wanted so badly to make a big gingerbread man, but our attempts kept falling apart! The redeeming factor was that the broken pieces were very tasty. 

 The fun part!

Bryce had asked Aaron and I to spend the night with them the evening before. It melted my heart, because I know it won't be long before those invitations will stop. I wish I could freeze time!

That night we had the Meigs' family Christmas at my Grandpa Cooie's house down the road. My family basically lives within a one-mile radius of each other. It's kind've like a compound...
Dinner was delicious, but it was cut short when my grandpa had to go to the hospital. He had chest pain, and my step-grandmother gave him THREE nitros when the first and second didn't alleviate his symptoms - you just don't do that, people. His blood pressure plummeted and he spent the evening in the hospital. He did get a stent placed in, which was necessary, and is now doing great. I'm glad his wife didn't succeed in killing him over Christmas dinner. Just kidding... Never a dull moment in our family!

The next evening we traveled to Tulsa to attend Church on the Move's Celebrate with Family service. It was a spectacular production, and I loved when Pastor George read the Christmas Story with music softly playing in the background. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should!

Arkansas Holiday

Aaron and I wanted to make sure that we made all the rounds for Christmas this year, as it's our last official winter break. After Holiday Ball and a few days of blissful relaxation, we set off for Pencil Bluff, Arkansas, to celebrate with Aaron's Grandma Relic, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
It's always held the Sunday before Christmas, and we specifically designed our traveling plans to make sure we could attend for the first time since we've been married.

 We sat the kids down in the middle before their tradition of Dirty Santa. The girls were so excited! Rihanna got a stuffed Rudolf, which might have been her favorite present of all. She kept "Baby Deer" by her side at all times. 

 

Aaron's cousin Richie always "wraps" his present in creative materials so that the usual recipient, Brian, has his work cut out for him cracking it open. He promised to throw welding in the mix next year.

This seemed to be the theme this year. Uncle Aaron is the best pillow/teddy bear to fall asleep on!

This year we stayed at Aaron's brother's house and basically had a continuous sleepover with our nieces. It was the most fun we've had in Mount Ida - watching the "Zebra" movie several times, dancing around the living room, reading Pooh Bear and other stories before a (very) late bedtime, and great conversation with their parents, Brian and Tracy. The girls wore us out, but we wouldn't trade that time for the world. 

Bedtime story

Aaron was very happy to celebrate with all four of his siblings at his parents' home in Mount Ida this year. It was difficult to coordinate, but the big family gathering meant a lot to him. We had a wonderful dinner and time watching the girls open their presents...and ours.

Aaron Relic: Human Sedative

Opening presents is exhausting, especially when you open everyone elses!

The bows looked better on Rihanna than the presents

It was so hard to leave this precious girl!

Christmas Traditions

My family has many Christmas traditions. Old or new, the holidays just aren't the same without them. Some of my favorites?

Christmas Movies

Every year we watch Christmas Vacation and Elf together as a family and laugh until our stomachs are sore. I don't care to watch movies repeatedly, but for some reason these two never get old.

My sister and I could probably quote this entire movie

Wrapping Gifts

Gift wrapping is a huge ordeal in our home. At the moment, we have about 15 different rolls of wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby - it's by far the best quality - super thick and makes clean lines. We buy tons of gift tags and decorative ribbons, bows, and embellishments and spend hours on the presentation of the gifts. Towards the end, we just feel like slapping a bow on it and calling it a day...but it's so worth waking up to the sight of beautiful packages on Christmas morning!

Lights at Rhema

It's been difficult to find a time that works for our entire family the past few years, but we've got a date set next week to attend Church on the Move's Celebrate with Family service and take in the Lights at Rhema afterwards. Each year the display is a little different, but my favorite never seems to change: the lights at the entrance set to Christmas music. There's nothing like bundling up, sipping hot chocolate and taking in a million twinkling lights!

Aaron, Macee and I under the tunnel

Christmas Eve PJs 

We started a new tradition a few years ago. Macee always begged to open a gift on Christmas Eve as a kid, and as a grown-up she finally got her wish! We all open Christmas pajamas from "Santa" after coming home from my Grandma and Papa's house. Climbing into bed in our new pj's gets us excited for Christmas morning!

 Last year Macee and I got matching pj's, complete with slippers. The thermals kept us nice and toasty that night! Aaron, however, hates being toasty...Santa usually brings him new house shoes.

Christmas Morning...Before the Presents

As a kid, Macee would wake me up nearly every hour asking me if it was "time" yet. I always told her when the sun came up, it was time. Needless to say, it was difficult to keep us waiting on Christmas morning, but mom and dad always read us the Christmas story from the Bible before we opened presents. We do that to this day, over a cup of homemade cocoa, and pray to thank God for his amazing gift to us. I love that we start the day off with the right perspective and shift the focus away from the gifts. While they're amazing, they're not the point.

I'm looking forward to keeping these traditions alive with our future children. What are some of your favorite traditions?

Date Day

My mom and dad came up yesterday for a little "date day." I had been looking forward to this all week, as I needed some quality time with my mommy!
First up? Target for some stocking stuffers and Christmas cards. My mom always makes a special trip to Target for the latter, because it's the only place that carries our absolutely favorite brand, Papyrus. They have the most ornate, intricate, and beautiful creations. I know someone loves me if I see that gold sticker seal!

Glitter and jewels? Yes, please!

Next we headed to our appointments at Ihloff Salon in Utica Square. My hair hadn't been touched since August and was in desperate need of some attention. I went in for a trim, but ended up getting more than 4 inches hacked off and some layers. It feels so healthy again. As my stylist said, "I love it long, but we don't want it looking homely." Ha! It was getting there...

Mom looked fabulous after her cut and style. Seth gave her pointers on styling, but somehow neither of us can ever replicate what he does. Why is that?
While our hubbies watched a movie and browsed in Barnes and Noble, we picked up the last of the items on our shopping lists at the mall. We love online shopping, but if we can't get free shipping, it's to the stores we go!
When dad and Aaron dropped us off at Woodland Hills, I promptly opened the door and climbed out. However, it was not that easy for my mom. They're still in a rental while waiting for their SUV to be fixed after hitting a 10 point buck on the highway. For about 3 minutes, they went back and forth - Dad pressing the "Unlock" button in the front and Mom pressing the handle at the same time and looking confused. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. If they're like this in their 40s/50s, what is old age going to look like?!

Christmas Cheers and Jeers

My third semester of medical school is officially behind me. The past two weeks have been a roller coaster - physically, mentally, and emotionally. As such, I think it's appropriate to do a Christmas "Cheers and Jeers" post to take you along the ride with me.

JEERS...to the SAC holding their annual Christmas party on our campus. In Founder's Hall. While we took a final in the adjacent section of the building. While I'm sure you thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food, door prizes, and entertainment, we didn't appreciate you doing so smack dab in the middle of finals on display in front of us while excluding us. Or the fact that it was difficult to find a parking spot to take said final. Or that we could hear your emcee and wild audience applause and laughter. Did someone not get a copy of the Academic schedule? I'm hoping next year administration is a bit more sensitive.

Please make as big a disturbance as possible...

CHEERS... to our class Vice President for putting together an amazing Holiday Ball. It was the perfect opportunity to dress up, unwind, and celebrate the rewards of our hard work. This year it was held on the 30th and 31st floors of the Summit Club downtown. The views, food, and dancing were amazing.
After looking homeless for a month solid (at least I did), everyone looked stunning!

We had a few friends over for appetizers before heading to the Ball. The Normans and the Owens enjoyed a well-deserved night out. Special date nights are so much fun!

Isn't she beautiful? This was after my hair turned into a ball of frizz.

 Macee was my other "date." We had an absolute blast tearing it up on the dance floor. I can't dance at all, but I've finally learned to disregard what others think and enjoy myself. It made the night.

A couple of our guy friends went to a thrift store that afternoon to find their Holiday Ball outfits, with hilarious results.

JEERS...to HP/DP (Health Promotion Disease Prevention), a 2 hour filler course in which our class cumulatively earned the lowest exam average of any course all semester. The amount we studied meant next to nothing. How well we guessed on subjective questions? Everything.

CHEERS/JEERS...I can't decide which I'd like to categorize registering for Step 1 boards as. It's exciting, as it's the final step before we begin the clinical portion of our education. It's also just as nerve-racking, as our scores make a big impact on which residencies we're accepted into. 

I'll be spending a lot of quality time with this book next semester

CHEERS...to finally being able to sleep, at any time of day or night, for as long as we wish. To not having to read anything worth any substance (hello, magazines!). And finally, to celebrating my favorite holiday, the birth of my Savior, with those whom I love the most. 

I can't wait to walk into my parent's home to the sight of this!

Merry Christmas Break, everyone! Hope it's full of nothing but "Cheers"

Gala/Bedlam

I spent all last week with my nose buried in my Pathology book, and after our last regular exam of the semester on Friday, I rewarded myself by joining my mom and sister in Tahlequah for our church's annual Christmas Gala. My mom spent so much time putting the evening together - it was absolutely fabulous.
437 ladies attended...that's quite a chunk of the population in Tahlequah! The tables were decorated beautifully - as my mom commented, it was like Pinterest heaven! Here's a few of my faves:

Our table! The Red Velvet Cheesecake centerpiece was divine!

 

 We learned how to make a sugar body scrub and stove-top potpourri, got several new yummy recipes, and tried out a few Zumba moves before my mom presented her message. The Zumba was so much fun - I'm now wanting to give it a try...in my living room with the blinds closed. 

To top it off, some holiday "elves" (my dad and other men in the church) sent us home with some amazing gifts!

It was a wonderful evening and the perfect night off from studying for finals. I can't wait for next year!

The next evening, we watched the Bedlam game with some friends and family from medical school. Go Pokes! 

The Owens' home looks just like a page out of Pottery Barn - I hope to have my home decorated similarly one day!

 Aaron spent some time with his girlfriend, Hadley Joy. She's just too cute for me to be jealous ;)

 Airika, Jai and Hadley got some giggles out of several iPhone apps - ingenious for entertaining kids! Jai is apparently a phone wiz. He's figured out how to call his dad and leaves him voice mails during class saying, "Hi, Daddy!" Now that's motivation to get home :)

The Normans

The beautiful hostess and the birthday boy!

 

I didn't catch a picture of Miss Aubrey in her Cowboy cheerleader outfit before she made her wardrobe change to her pj's. She was ready to cheer!

Reindeer booty!

We had such an amazing time with these couples and their kiddos. They do such a great job of balancing medical school and family - it gives hope to Aaron and I that we can someday do the same!
That was the last bit of fun until next Tuesday, which can't come quickly enough. I'll be more than ready to celebrate the end of finals at Holiday Ball!

Two Weeks

It's that time again!
No, not the Christmas season. Well, it is for most people, but I can't fully enjoy that just yet.
It's time to start preparing for finals.
For the next two weeks, I will be chugging Diet Dr. Pepper and desperately trying to get through the piles of information as fast as possible while retaining as much as possible. It's a stressful game.

Yes, that's a four-hour block for the Pathology final, and it will probably take me the whole time. Medical school: it makes the MCAT seem easy.

Our finals schedule actually turned out quite nicely. When I begin to become overwhelmed thinking about the cumulative Pathology final, I take a moment to remind myself, "at least I'm not a first year..."
Sorry, first years.
Two weeks is the amount of time that separates me from Holiday Ball, Christmas shopping, the lights at Rhema and hot cocoa, and seeing my family. Two weeks and counting.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day of thanks, and I have much to be grateful for.
I am so thankful for amazing parents that drove up to Tulsa just to bring us Thanksgiving leftovers last year because we couldn't take the time off from studying to be with our family.
I'm also thankful that this year, our exams fell so that we were able to travel to Tahlequah to celebrate for several days with these incredible people.

My Grandpa, who was Grand Marshal of the Veteran's Day Parade this year!

Mom and Dad, who still hold hands after 31 years

Macee and Vlado, a friend in her Masters program at OSU who wasn't able to make it home for Thanksgiving

 Thankful for delicious food and an afternoon of visiting and football...

The new recipe mom tried this year: Pecan Cobbler. It was a hit, especially with my husband!

Dad is the official turkey carver. Tom was delicious.

A stuffed Aaron lounging on the couch

Watching Texas vs. A & M

Thankful for a sister who's also a best friend and who never grows too old for Mario Kart and coloring books

Macee after having every bone in her body popped by Aaron and soft tissue done by yours truly

Now for a good night's sleep before our 5:30 departure tomorrow morning for Black Friday shopping! It's become a tradition for my mom, sister and me. We have as much fun starting the holiday season and chatting as we do hunting deals.
Hope you and yours had a blessed Thanksgiving, and that you remember the original purpose: thanks to God for all of his blessings!