Christmas time is hereeee

I love Christmas. For sooo many reasons. People are just in a good mood this time of year, ya know? As busy and "stressful" as it may be at times- somehow we all remain so happy and full of Christmas cheer. It may have something to do with the fact that we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, or spending time with our families, decorating, giving and receiving gifts, going to tons of parties, etc. It is just FUN!

The last two evenings, I had the privilege to attend some really great parties. Wednesday night was the 36th Annual Ranch Christmas Party. If anyone doesn't know, my parents are house parents at a boy's ranch. The christmas party is one of the only times of the year that EVERYONE from the boy's and girl's ranches all get together. It is a beautiful night with lots of delicious food, visiting, and singing.

Me with the parentals at the ranch party

Me and hubs at the ranch party

The party I attended last night was the Intern Christmas Party. All of the student teachers that just finished from the various programs (Early Childhood, Special Ed, Elementary Ed, etc.) came together to eat and visit. The party was held at the home of one of our most awesome and amazing teachers. It was really great to get together with everyone and talk about our experiences, catch up, and get excited for graduation next week! Here are a few pictures from the evening:

YUM... this is an optical illusion because this cake was HUGE. Red velvet too =)

My best JSU friends, Katie and Ariel.

All of our AWESOME teachers! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My very good friend, Stephanie.

Me and Katie. So excited to be through! If you notice, she is sporting a pretty sweet medal because she won the Outstanding Intern Award! Yayyyy Katie!

My teacher, academic advisor, mentor, and friend- Mrs. Taylor.

I love Christmas parties and can't wait for more! Today I spent the day helping my mom decorate her house and tree. We had a great time chatting and listening to Christmas music. It is weird not living there with them this year! Here is our finished product:

So pretty!!

Anyway, heading out for a date night with my hubby. We are heading to the oh-so-romantic Chick-Fila and back home to watch movies =)