The YC Christmas Party

We just had The YC Christmas party last night, sadly not all of our kids could show up because of the horrible weather we've been having lately. So far they say this is the worst winter storm to hit our area in 30 years, currently we have a few feet of snow on the ground.

The Christmas party was great, we played games, had hot-cocoa, ate cookies and brownies and best of all we were able to give a gift to every single kid that showed up. Earlier this month each student from The YC filled out a Christmas wish list and a local youth pastor named Binky and his wife Liz found families to sponsor each and every single card! It was incredible. The women's ministry department of another church brought us twenty or so generic presents that we could hand out to kids that hadn't filled out a list. Thanks to both of these churches every student went away with a present. For some of these students they would not have recieved any present at all this Christmas if it weren't for these two churches. It was incredible to see our kids faces as they opened their gifts around the Christmas tree, they couldn't believe some of the eloborate gifts they recieved.

Thank you to everyone who worked to make Christmas special to so many youth! We are so blessed to be surrounded by such generous hearts.

Go With the Off Brand

Did you ever wonder about the origin of the brand Scotch Tape? Well I did. I always assumed that it was in reference to the hardworking Scots, or an accolade to the strength and durability of my Scottish heritage. Sadly I was very wrong. Apparently it was nothing more than a racial slur that has stuck through the decades.

Here is how history writes it.

The brandname Scotch came about while Richard Drew was testing his first masking tape to determine how much adhesive he needed to add. The bodyshop painter became frustrated with the sample masking tape and exclaimed, "Take this tape back to those Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it!" The name was soon applied to the entire line of 3M tapes. Read the full article here.

So there you have it. Not a monument to our Scottish strength, but an insult to our Scottish sense of frugality. I'm thinking of finding a new brand of tape, the off brands work just as well and are much more reasonable in price.

Advent...the Conspiracy

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"

So, the weather forecast is calling for a snowy Christmas in Olympia this year. We have had several days of snow storms so far, the latest dropped around 8 inches at our place in less than a day. They say that this is the worst storm that has been seen here in years, and the coldest weather in almost 20 years! What a welcome to Washington. Gramma called yesterday to apologize for the weather, she said she has never seen it like this since she and Grampa have lived here. The storm is supposed to clear up a while after Christmas, hopefully we can drive up and see them after its all over with. It does make for beautiful scenery, but unfortunately the city isn't used to these kinds of storms and doesn't have the equipment necessary to clear the roads. So, lately driving has been next to impossible and the town is shutting down around us. Even the mall has been closing early - I can't imagine how much money they are losing shutting down right before Christmas!

Vince and I have been going on adventures in the snow looking for good pictures and enjoying the snow fall. One day Vince and the kids from The YC created a 10 foot tall snow man in Sylvester Park. Unfortunately he was decapitated and deabdomened by the time we came by with a camera the next day....it was a pretty amazing sight when they first made him though. I think that Vince likes the snow even more than I do...it must be those trips to Wyoming that did it for him.

"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"

So, I'm liking the Christmas Carol titles for posts...I wonder what song to use next? Hmmm, maybe I will just have to leave you all in suspense - check back later and see if your guess was right.

After bringing the tree home, Vince and I started the fun decorating process. We started a fun tradition when we got married that any time we visit a new place we will buy a Christmas ornament for our tree, that way our tree will be filled with memories and not just random decorations.

So far we have collected quite a few. Jamaica, Cancun, Santa Barbara, Solvang, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Idaho, and most recently Seaside and Astoria, Oregon. We still need to pick up some from San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Seattle and Ohio (we hare a little behind on the shopping...).

I think everyone needs to have traditions for Christmas - otherwise it's just another day. Traditions like listening to Christmas music and eating cookies while you decorate the tree. Drawing names after Thanksgiving and trying to keep it a secret until Christmas morning. Grandma's clam chowder for Christmas Eve, and cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast. Or staying up all night Christmas Eve to help Mom wrap all the presents that are hidden in her closet. Hopefully this year no one will have to wrap their own present....Lyndsie is still upset about that one!

I tried to start a tradition last year - Christmas pajamas and slippers to open on Christmas Eve...I thought it would be cute, who doesn't like a new pair of pajamas? Well, apparently Vince thought the pajamas I picked out for him were hideous...and he only just got up the nerve to tell me this year. Oh well, I guess I've got to come up with a new idea real quick! I'll let you know how it goes in about a month.

"O Christmas Tree"

The first Saturday after Thanksgiving is always the best day to get yourself a Christmas tree. It is like getting a jolt of Christmas right off the bat to get you into the holidays. Vince and had seen a little Christmas tree farm on one of our drives, so we retraced our steps last weekend and braved the drizzling rain to hunt for the perfect tree - not too skinny, not too tall, not too bare and it had to have a nice looking top. After awhile they all started looking the same...but we passed up several good options until we found THE best option. The only thing left was to chop her down and bring her home. Another Medrano first. They don't have any Christmas tree farms in LA, in fact - I think they ship them all in from the Pacific Northwest. There is no better way to get your tree than to hunt for it on a farm and cut it down yourself - another reason I'm loving Washington!

Free Christmas Music

who doesnt like free music? this family certainly does... thats why i posted this link for free christmas music