Christmas Chaos

I've been reading for the shear fun of it lately. It's one of my favorite things to do and when I find a great book I am not ashamed to ignore my "to do list" for the sake of finding out what happens in the next chapter. I've been reading the "Divergent" book series and yes I'm hooked on it and thus disappear for hours on end with my nose glued in the book. I started the second book in the series yesterday and I realized I haven't read like this in what seems like forever. It brings back memories from my teenage years when I'd read till 2am and get up for school a few hours later. Oh where has that insanity energy gone? :)

So I thought there were a lot of Christmas events to attend when I was single and living at home. Then I got married and Christmas time went into fast, fast forward. Like we need to get here now and then as soon as we leave we need to remember to take this present there.
Whew. It can only get crazier right? Really though I loved every bit of it. Well except for the part where my house turned into a dumping ground. You know when you're gone from home every day and you only stop in to shower and leave again for the next Christmas event? It's those times that you toss the mail on the table, gifts on the couches, work papers on the desk, clothes don't make it the hamper.... and then multiply this by however many days of holiday chaos and your house has become a dumping ground.

All the stockings hung at my mom and dads house:)

The weekend before Christmas we headed to Derek's cousins wedding in Indiana. It was a rainy, sleety kind of day, but inside the church it was warm (if the men kept the doors shut that is), everything was decorated cute and there is so much love between Will and Wendy. They truly are a great couple!

For my family Christmas on the 23rd we had brunch together and then hung out the whole day eating, opening gifts, playing scrabble, the 5 second game, and ping pong. Three of my family members received the Apple TV for a gift. It was hilarious because the box is so small and my dad kept saying "that's a TV?, are you sure? how do you work it?". 
Overall It was a fun, exhausting day:) On Christmas Eve I worked a 12 hour shift and then met up with Derek at an extended family gathering. Then after that we went to his parents and spent the night there, although after laying under the tree for less than 5 minutes I fell asleep. 12 hour shifts tend to do that to you ;) Christmas morning we had french toast together and then left and went to Church with my parents and was able to hear the Christmas story and sing carols. Afterwards we went back to his parents house and opened gifts, ate pizza, and played games. From there we went to my Roth family Christmas and reunited with cousins through games of dutch blitz and euchre:) That was one crazy, fun day!

Laura took these pics at our Vollmer Christmas

But really, what is Christmas if there never was a Savior wrapped in a manger? I think of God stepping down from His mighty thrown and coming to earth and being born in a stable and I am humbled that so long ago my Savior would have me in mind as He grew up and eventually died on the cross giving me a redeemed life and a hope of Heaven with Him. 
We are blessed. Merry Christmas!