Christmas in Utah!

A couple weeks ago I took a break from my internship and Scott was lucky enough to get time off of his work during the holidays and we made it back to Utah for Christmas!

We were only in Utah for 9 days including travel days so everything was a whirlwhind from touch down to take off. There was more than one quick 10 minute stop to say hi on our way from one place to another, sometimes that was the best we could do! We had such a great time seeing everyone though. It was really good to spend time with our families again and see all of our nieces and nephews who (i'm going to be a super clichè aunt right now) have grown SO much in so little time! We love having so many nieces and nephews and being the cool aunt and uncle right now.

We arrived on Saturday and had a big family party with the Henrie family that night. After all the kidlets exchanged gifts all us siblings got together and played cards, which is one of my favorite Henrie traditions. We play cards and bet with nickels, so we all have our little (okay, maybe they aren't that little...) jars of nickels that we bring and bet with. It's fun and a guilt free way to "gamble". We had a couple really excellent card game sessions over the week, and I have to say thanks to my mother-in-law for providing our nickel bowl because forgot to bring ours out!

We celebrated Christmas with my family on the 23rd since my brother and his wife were spending Christmas up in Rexburg. This year, my family decided to take on a project to bring the focus of the season back toward Christ and service. On Monday night, we all went to Old Navy and bought a bunch of warm clothes & coats and then on Tuesday we went to a women's shelter to make the delivery. It was so rewarding to know that we were helping people who really needed it, that is what the holidays are truly about! While we were dropping off clothes at the shelter, there was a homeless man outside who was asking people for money. Scott offered to buy the guy a meal at a bakery next door, and the guy just had a heyday, he was so excited! Scott told him he could get whatever he wanted, and he was a little timid at first, but ended up getting a sandwich fully loaded with all the toppings, a cinnamon roll, and a drink. The owners of the bakery saw what Scott did and gave both Scott and the homeless man a bag of rolls for free. I just know Scott must have made that guys day #proudwife. It's times like those where you realize you definitely married the right man (insert heart eye emoji here.)

We also went to temple square with my family, always a "must do" if you're in Utah.

^^^ The nativities are my favorite part of the lights on Temple Square! They are so cool to look at & it's WAY less crowded over there. They are a hidden gem :)^^^

Christmas this year was honestly the most perfect you could imagine. We went to bed on Christmas eve with not a flake of snow on the ground, and while we were sleeping, Utah pulled out all the stops and we woke up to this (see below)

hello white Christmas! It was perfect.

I surprised Scott (major) by getting him a fly rod he has been DYING for, and he surprised me with an absolutely killer new running jacket that has already made my winter runs so much more enjoyable. I love seeing the look on his face opening up surprises, it'll never get old. Later that morning my sister-in-law and I went on a run. One of my favorite things about my sisters-in-law is that they love to work out as much as I do! It's so nice when we go on family trips together to have workout/running buddies, they keep me in line and I love them for it ;)

The rest of the break we spent connecting with friends. I was able to see my bff Ali and we sat in Kneaders for something like 3 hours talking about life and planning for her future bebe (!!!!!!) and we were able to get together with my old study buddies and their husbands for a night of Contention (seriously most entertaining card game ever, no gambling involved ;).

We were so grateful that we were able to make it out for the holiday and connect with so many people that we haven't seen in a while. It was nice to have time with each other as well without the distraction of work & my internship. Now we're back in this icebox that is Minnesota right now and dreaming of our next vacation. Hawaii?! Belize?! Brazil?! Take me somewhere exotic and warm...

2014 was such an amazing year for us. I graduated college, we were able to travel to Vegas, California, and Jackson, WY. We moved to Minnesota, I started my internship, Scott was able to take a fishing trip with his brothers and Dad, we celebrated our first anniversary, went to our first NFL game together and were treated like kings at a Twins game. We have been so lucky and so spoiled this year and we try not to forget it! We are so excited for what 2015 has in store, cheers to a new year!