Christmas 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year was fantabulous!!  Not because of the gifts or the traffic, or the last minute pick ups, or anything like that it was fantabulous because our church opened it's new building for our Christmas Eve services!  Actually to be honest the first services in our new building were on Sunday (but since we were Texas town hopping - we missed it).  I signed up to serve at a few of the Christmas Eve services and to be honest I missed the ones on Monday night because I was still out wrapping and last minute buying for people I forgot or put off and ...well you know how that goes!

Tuesday (Christmas Eve morning) I woke up and got ready for work.  I was at my desk by 6:30 and by 8 I was out on the road headed to James Avery to pick up a last minute gift and back in the office within 30 minutes!!  Not bad for a quick "coffee break"! LOL   I hung around a pretty dead and empty office for  a few hours but by noon - I was out of here!  I headed home and since Danny and the girls were out to lunch I did one more gift stop and then headed home to wrap some gifts.  At 5 we all headed to church for our Christmas Eve Service!  To say I am madly in love with our new church building is an understatement. 

I'll admit - I am not the most religious person in the word, and the good Lord knows I have my flaws (particularly a really bad potty mouth), but I do have an unwavering hot and burning love in my heart for Jesus.  I believe wholeheartedly- mind, body and soul in his love, his forgiveness, his patience and his grace!  I pray daily, and I have found a peace in my heart by going to this church like never before.  I know the church is just a building and what matters most is my relationship with Jesus himself....but since I became a member of this church I have felt God's love in so many ways I had never experienced before.  I have become involved in a church family, met people who make me feel like they care about me as a person and - well its exciting! Watching them build this church and letting my family be a part of that and knowing that my girls handprints are on the floor of the children's ministry and that my prayers were uttered within the walls of the worship and prayer center before the church was even built gives me such a feeling of honor and belonging.  ANYWHO - I am super super excited!!!

Christmas Eve services always make me cry.  Tears of joy but tears none the less.  I get such an overwhelming joy wash over me during the candlelight carol portion - that is Christmas to me.  Sitting there in the Lords house all singing off key and praising him wholeheartedly!! I love it.  This year we had Santa, and Rudolph, Frosty, a live Nativy outside, and the works!  I was so happy. 

After attending the 5pm service - Danny and the girls headed over to the Limon grandparents home and I stayed to serve at the next two services.  Once I was done serving, I headed home and finished up my wrapping and organizing.  Santa stopped and dropped off the girls gifts (not before making a big mess with a glitter glue stick he used to make their gift tags! LOL).  At about 11, I headed over to the Limons and got ready for some Christmas happenings overthere.  Makaila was a tad upset when I got there (apparently I missed a big to do with Issy and her feelings were hurt over how Issy was treated - but I assured her it would be okay and that it was not worth her tears and we moved on).  At Midnight we did the usual hugs and kisses and then handed out Christmas gifts.  The girls are so so blessed.  We all are really.  They got so many wonderful things.  We opened all our gifts and then hung out for awhile and then headed home to rest. 

We got home and the girls were already asleep , we put them to bed and went straight to bed ourselves!  At about 8 am on Christmas morning the girls woke up and were ready to go!!  We all got into the living room and opened all our gifts.  The girls got everything they asked for from Santa and us! Santa brought Issy a charm necklace and bracelet, the Just Dance 2014 game, a rainbow loom, and some legos.  He brought Makaila a pair of grey converse, and the One Direction perfume!  We got the girls, clothes, new leadership karate uniforms, ATA hoodies, and tons of goodies in their stockings.  Danny got a watch box, some closet cedar blocks, an eye mask, and a Dave Ramsey book!  I got a ring. 

We had a great Christmas morning, but not enough sleep.  While the girls went through thier new found treasures and played with rainbow looms me and Danny went back to sleep! LOL

We woke up a little while later, got ready and headed to my sister Erica's house to do the Salas Family Christmas.  We ate posole, tamales, rice, and tons of treats and then when everyone had arrived we did our gift exchanges there.  Again - VERY blessed by our families.  The girls got all kinds of goodies here too...but I think the best Gift giving moment this year was when Tony opened our gift to him. 

Tony is my little sisters boyfriend, and earlier this year Tony's dog passed away.  This dog was his best friend and Tony was very very heartbroken by the loss of his best friend.  So for Christmas I got my sister to send me some pictures of Tony and his dog, and made him a Shadowbox with pictures and a phrase box inside that read "Perhaps they are not stars but rather openings in heavens where the love of our lost ones  shines down to let us know they are with us."  He loved it.  It brought him to tears and was a very heartfelt moment this year!  I was very happy that he liked it and that it meant so much to him. 

Once everything had settled down, we played a few rounds of loteria and then my daddy, Tony, Samantha, Danny and I all headed over to Louisiana to hit the casinos!! LOL  We played for several hours and had a good time!! 

We had a wonderful Christmas this year surrounded by the people we love most!  We all were very blessed to have spent the year in good health and good tolerant spirit.  I am so grateful for my family (both Limon and Salas), and I am happy that we spent our time with each family and that the girls were showered with so many presents...but even more glad that they are grateful for those presents and that they know the true meaning of Christmas is not gifts or money, but spending time with family and friends rejoicing each other and the blessing of life itself!!!!  Merry Christmas once again from our family to yours!!!!  I hope you were as blessed and loved as we were on Christmas day!!!