December 2013

December came and it only has 2 days left... 2014is coming quick! This month is special for Mitch and I we were married December 15th in the Rexburg Idaho Temple.
December 2nd we celebrated Grandpa Forbush's 92 birthday! We had a little birthday party at the Homestead for him. I think he really enjoyed that.
We were able to make it to the Temple and participate in Temple sealing. It was a very sweet reminder of the covenants we made just one year before in the same Temple.
To celebrate our anniversary we went to Lava Hotsprings and stayed at a themed cozy hotel called the Lions Gate Manor it was a lot of fun except the power went out in the middle of the night and I got a little freaked out since we were thee only couple staying there that night. I thought we could possibly get murdered... what made it worse was Mitch was fast asleep and I lay there thinking of how we were going to die..but I woke up right next to Mitch the next morning, still alive and happy. The hotsprings were so nice and relaxing. Each pool was a different temperate so it was a perfect wintry night to soak and relax in those giant hot tubs. We got to see the Hobbit 2 on our way back home. That is a long movie, but we both liked it a lot. We ate at Olive Garden.. it was delicious! We were a little weirder out at our waiter.. he kept awkwardly touching Mitch's shoulder.. it was hilarious. To say the least it was a perfect weekend getaway to celebrate our first year of marriage.
The last week of school was the week before Christmas so Mitch was studying very hard for his final. He ended the class with a B and I am beyond proud of him. It was a 5 credit math class and he worked so hard. I finished another semester only 2 left and I will be done forever!!!!
The weekend before Christmas we went with the whole Merrill family to Big Sky Montana to go hit the slopes and stay in a cozy cabin. It was so much fun. Everybody was there including Grandpa Cliff Merrill and Quinn's girlfriend Brittany. We had a lot of fun snowboarding and making memories.
Christmas came!!! We mainly celebrated with the Merrills until Christmas day then we spent time with the Willmores post Christmas. It was so much fun. Just a few favorite gifts.. a new high tech camera, Mitch's first gun a ruger 22, gift cards, a plate of Grandma Patrick's , and a windows surface. We were spoiled. It was fun to see the people we had for Christmas open their gifts. This year I found myself reflecting on how grateful I am for my savior and for his birth. It is such a loving, giving season. My favorite part was the opportunity to doorbell ditch Christmas on the doorstep of a family in our ward that was less fortunate this year. It was so gratifying to know they were going to have something to open and have a ham to eat. My heart is very full with gratitude for my husband, family members, my calling, education, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is to a wonderful year of 2013 and an even better one for 2014!!!