Rock Band of Brothers

This is all my brothers have done this Christmas break. There is also a continual stream of their friends coming over to join in with the rock band awesomeness. All I know is late at night after I've gone to bed I hear the clicking of the drums and the "incredible" guitar solos. Apparently I just don't understand.

Merry Christmas from the Pritz family

Well, it was a wonderful Christmas. We don't have any family near us so our Christmas traditions have always consisted of just my parents, my brothers, and I. Which really works out just fine. On Christmas Eve we always dress up and go out to a fancy restaurant and go see a movie or do something else afterwards, but this year, as my brothers have continually reminded me, I ruined Christmas....by getting bronchitis. Bummer, but I'm on antibiotics and getting better rapidly. Christmas Eve, however, I felt just awful and I wasn't getting dressed up nice much less going out in the cold and going out on the town. This made my mom sad and she didn't want to go with out me so we compromised and got Chinese take out (a family favorite) and watched football in our pajamas. We actually really enjoyed ourselves in the end and my dad was pleased with how much cheaper the Chinese take out was in comparison to what a nice restaurant would have cost.

Christmas morning was fun as usual, my brothers were ridiculous, my parents funny, and our cats loved all of the paper and boxes to play in. We had our traditional lasagna dinner that evening and really just had a easy going, fun, enjoyable day. I am thankful for the birth of our Lord and the gift of my family.

Teddy is so happy about my present.

Teddy got a Digeridoo. Oh my.

This was Scott and Mom's reaction to Teddy's digeridoo playing....

Dallas Roadtrip

A week ago Wednesday I drove through icy roads and fog to visit the Okada family home in Mesquite, TX. There I found my dearest friends Kristen Olson and David Okada who were home for Christmas from Mexico, where they teach English. I also got to spend some wonderful time with the lovely Ruth Okada and her baby to be. It is always great to be at the Okadas and see the whole fam. Our friend from JBU, Robbie, also got to come and visit that Friday for a little family party. I love these friends more than I can say and as I only get to see them a few times a year now instead of everyday like when we were in school together, I savor these times I get to spend with them. There is never a dull moment when we are together, that is for sure.

Youth Girls Christmas Craft/Bake Fest

I made another go at being a youth leader--a job I don't necessarily feel equipped for, but I am available so I'm trying my best--and hosted a Christmas party. We didn't do a bible study this time just pure Christmas bonding time. We made puppy chow, chocolate covered dried apricots, chocolate covered ritz peanut butter sandwiches, chocolate covered pretzels (see a theme? we had a chocolate fountain and pretty much anything covered in chocolate is a good thing), white chocolate peppermint candy, hot chocolate, and wassail. We also had a craft time where we made christmas cards. The girls were great and plentiful and there was lots of giggly girl talk as well as fun and laughter along with Christmas songs in the background. A success.

A Sapulpa Christmas, Oh my.

To end my Christmas Saturday I met up with friends at the Sapulpa Christmas parade. Very fun. Adrian's dad drove her Grandpa's old school fire engine in the parade. I saw lots of old friends as well as many of my students in the parade. After the game we all headed to my house to watch the Big 12 Championship (OU won as they should) and eat pizza. Good times.

Festivus

Saturday was the wonderful day of the year when Christmas fun feels like it has finally started. The day began with Darby and Jessi arriving to help my mom and I decorate our house and enjoy many different hot drinks (followed by yummy Taco Bueno). I will post more pics of our handy decorating once it is officially done. We didn't get the tree completed because our pre-lit tree decided that its lights in the center section weren't gonna work. So...until we get that figured out it looks pretty lame. But it was a pretty fun day minus the disfunctional tree!

Sidenote:

I am very thankful for my Grammi Hazel. She may be my adopted grandmother but she is more a grandmother to me than a real one would be. From all the hours she spent with me as a little girl teaching me to sew and cook to going out to coffee and basketball games with me as a teenager and young adult. She's the best and she made me this beautiful homemade chocolate macadamian pie as a continued get well present. I appreciate all of her thought and concern for me as I've been healing.

Youth Girls Night

Since moving home I've been personally challenged to try and lead a group of junior high and high school girls in a bible study/youth group from my home church. Our church is a very small but wonderful place. In high school I went to another bigger church in our town for youth group because there wasn't one at my home church. At the time there was only 2 youth age individuals and I was one of them. Now the youth group is much bigger and I felt like I could help out being home and being young. This is a great group of girls all with very different family situations and backgrounds. They are very mature and I was ministered to alot by them in our time together on Sunday. I tried my best to recreate chocolate ice cream sodas from my fun summer job and we also read from John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life. Then we made a word and picture collage answering a question Piper posed to the reader. I will post the collage I made for myself (*Rose--I think the pic of the laughing girl on my collage looks alot like your Emmaline!*). It's a great book because it challenges me as much at 24 as it does some of these girls at 13 or 17.

Re-Nash...best 4 days ever.

Ok, so I finally found my camera cord, which means I can finally upload and post these pictures!

Nashville reunion with my beloved housemates was as wonderful as it was expected to be. We really just revelled in spending time together. I loved to reobserve how we are 6 incredibly different and strong women but we so love eachother and love to hear eachothers thoughts and hearts. And we're pretty dang fun too.

Highlights of the weekend:

1. A very long walk all over Vanderbilt and Hillsborough Village where so many great conversations were had.

2. Cooking and meals together.

3. Trader Joe's in basically our pajamas.

4. Christmas morning.

5. Laying around covered in blankets for hours watching friends.

6. Pangeae...a store I would like to move in to.

7. Amazing sushi with the girls and Melissa, then going to Nat's friends' house.

8. Hearing all about Leslye's new friend and marriage stories from Jill.

9. When walking off the plane and seeing my housemates from a distance and then hearing Linda scream.

10. Telling Les she was very "thall" and other ridiculous but memorable moments like that that never stopped coming!