On Christmas Eve, it snowed all day! I loved it! At night, I went over to Ryan's house to open a few presents. We all opened pajamas from Ryan's parents. I got some awesome Dallas Cowboys pajamas! I love them. They are super warm and really comfy! I have already worn them! Ryan opened one present from me (Cinnabon Mini Cinnamon Rolls) and two presents from my mom (two pairs of jeans and two thermal Henley from American Eagle). Then I went home because the roads were getting pretty icy. When I got home, I decided that I wanted to do Christmas with my mom then because I was not feeling well and I wanted to be able to sleep in the next morning. I went shopping with mom for all of my presents, but I did get one surprise. Mom asked Renee to make a bracelet for me to match my beautiful rose necklace. Mom also got me some Bath and Body Works stuff (sensual amber shower gel, body spray and body cream; mango mandarin shower gel, lotion and scrub; and a shower scrubbie) and yummy candle (vanilla shortbread). I got a new hair dryer (since mine broke a few weeks ago) and new make-up (purMinerals - which I love). I also got a new car charger for my phone (which also allows my phone to play through my car speakers for music or phone calls). I got two new teacher books ("Learning to Teach... not just for beginners" and "Your First Year as an Elementary School Teacher"). Mom also got me some cute tops from JCPennys. I got a new purse and a purse hanger (Ryan and my mom think it is a grandma thing, but I love it). I got mom some pretty cool gifts, too. I got her two games for her Nintendo DS. I got her a new book ("206 Bones). I got her some stuff from Bath and Body Works (warm vanilla sugar and sea island cotton) and a yummy candle (vanilla coconut, I think). I got mom some new ear buds and Ryan got her Season 2 and 3 of Grey's Anatomy. I got her a few new calendars for work. Overall, a great Christmas with mom.
Christmas day, I slept in as much as I could. I got ready and left for Ryan's house. There was still some snow on the ground and the roads were okay. Inside my apartment complex and Ryan's neighborhood, the roads were icy, and I had a bit of trouble keeping control of my car. Luckily I made it to Ryan's house safely. When I got there we did Christmas with his family. They had already opened presents, but I had a few presents to open and I had a few presents to give. Katie opened her calendar, and she liked it. (Later I told her the reasoning and the idea of the calendar - and hopefully she will use it.) I got a ton of clothes from Ryan (white dress, green sweater, brown sweater, red, white and blue plaid shirt, grey and pink plaid button up, denim skirt, and some new panties and some shirts from Hollister). Ryan surprised me and bought me the most perfect pink dress! I showed it to him a week or so ago, and I was sure he would never get it for me. The dress was about $150, and I couldn't pay that much and didn't expect Ryan to get it for me either. He remembered where to get it, the right color and the right size! It fits like a glove! I love it! I will have to take a picture of me in that dress and Ryan all dressed up at some point! It is so perfect, and it was such a great surprise!!! I gave Ryan two picture frames with pictures of me in them. One can stay up all year, but the other one has a Santa hat in it. Ryan decided that we need to go back and pick out another one that he could leave up all year round. I also gave him a digital picture frame that I uploaded several pictures of us from the past few years. We will keep updating the pictures on the frame and he can keep that in his room. It is pretty neat because it scrolls through the different pictures - kind of like a slide show. His parents got me a rice cooker - which I am so excited about because I am always wanting steamed rice with soy sauce. Me and Ryan bought Michelle some new clothes. They are super cute. Some of them she can wear now, but some of them she will grow into. Ryan bought himself a new weight system for Christmas. I told him that I would help build it, so we immediately started building. There were 69 steps in building this thing, but the first 15 steps took the longest and were the hardest. We got stuck putting the first few steps together because the pieces were heavy and it truly took both of us to put the machine together. By the time we were at step 12, we were at a pause point, and I knew that I had to go to my dad's house. It wasn't so much that I had to, but I wanted to go. So, I went over to my dad's house. Cambria was there with her boyfriend Mark (I apparently graduated with him). They had already exchanged gifts. I gave Brenda her gift (a gift card for a massage). I gave Dad his gifts (uploaded pictures to a digital picture frame and a calendar with lunch dates already scheduled)! I thought those gifts were great to give my dad. He is always so hard to buy for since he has pretty much everything he needs. Brenda gave me two $25 gift cards to The Melting Pot and $50. That is one of my favorite restaurants. I love that place! Dad got me three t-shirts from Aeropostale. He got me a blue robe and a Dallas Cowboys Santa hat! I also got a new piece of furniture from IKEA - something to put my TV on. Dad is going to come over and help me move things and set it all up in my room! I also got a one year subscription to The Grocery Game and a book that I need to finish reading that explains the principles and strategies. I am excited to use that because Dad said you save so much money playing the game, and when I start living on my own I will need to save as much money as possible! I stayed at my dad's house for a little bit, but then returned to Ryan's house. We ate dinner and then continued assembling the weight machine. We got about half done before we decided to call it a night!
I had a great Christmas. I got great presents, but more importantly I got to spend time with people that I love and care about! I hope this is a sign for the upcoming year!
