THANKFUL THURSDAY--I am thankful today...

1.For my new mittens. They complete me. I bought them and then informed Andrew he would be gifting them in my Christmas stocking.Yes, I acted surprised.

2. That even when it's cold enough outside, to freeze our windows on the inside...our little house still keeps us cozy and warm and dry. I am thankful for heaters.

3. That Andrew reads to me at night. I adore falling asleep this way. It helps me escape my exhausting review of the day and stressing about tomorrow that inevitably occurs before I can will myself to sleep. We are reading the Percy Jackson series right now...and for the parts I've been awake for...it's a really fun read.

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4. And most of all...

That tomorrow is Friday. Returning to work after Christmas break kind of put my whole system into shock. I need the weekend to regroup and recover.

GRADUATION ALBUM

Hello, Andrew. That is certainly a weird hat you've got on there.

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After years of hard work an sacrifice...

Andrew is the first college graduate in his family!

I cried through the entire thing. This was the result of several factors:

1.) I was proud beyond words.

2.)I was miserably feverish.

3.)I had insomnia from 1-4 that morning and was horribly sleep deprived.

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All of these contributed to one very emotional me.

This was the first graduating class to hold commencement in the newly built BYU-Idaho Center. In case this picture doesn't illustrate it, the place is HUGE.

Its size is comparable to the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, which seats 21,000 people. The BYU-Idaho Center is the same design on a slightly smaller scale. It only seats 15,000.

The other half of Andrew's waving, screaming fan club.

After commencement, the College of Physical Science and Mathematics moved to the Taylor Chapel for convocation.

Beforehand, Andrew chats with his good friend, Dave.

"...Andrew Dee Ashmore...Bachelor's in Construction Management..."

Hooray!

This professor ("Mort") came to shake Andrew's hand afterward, and they both bawled like babies. As such, I figured this would be an important picture to take. Andrew always seems to make best buds with the old guys.

The graduate.

And the proud wife.

...I apologize. This couldn't be helped.

Congrats, Andrew! Now, on to the future, our business, and home building for new professors moving in to teach at the growing University.

That's right. We are both graduated and yet, we are sticking around our small-town Rexburg, Idaho. Who'da thunk we'd settle here? But we are excited for what the future will bring!

Holly Jolley Christmas Party

The family Christmas party was a success. A few things made it especially memorable.

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1.) Santa himself joined the festivities,and it was mandatory that everyone sit on his lap...even Grandma.

2.) Our view from Grandma's window.

3.) I got to hang with these little squirts.

4.) And Andrew's shepherd costume consisted of a red, plaid bathrobe and a BYU hat. 

P.S. The little shepherd's headdress without a tie is hilarious.  

SNAPSHOT SATURDAY--that's the spirit

I couldn't resist taking this shot one December afternoon. After reading the sign, take note of what the family behind it is up to. Ha! 

FOUR YEARS

I have such a good man. Our wedding anniversary makes me think back to that crazy courtship of ours, and what a miracle it was that we ended up together. (I'm not going to go over our story now, but you can read it HERE.) It was absolutely meant to be.

This song makes me think of that time. Everything was so full of unknowns and uncertainties, but two things helped me through it:

1.) I had distinctly felt that marrying him was what the Lord wanted. I was assured that Andrew was a good person, and God's word was good enough for me.

2.) My family supported me in the decision. I can only imagine the fears going through my mother's mind upon learning I was to marry a man neither of us had known more than a few weeks. But she stuck true to her promise: After expressing her concerns once, she went forward with 100% support and trust. There wasn't even a hint of dissatisfaction coming from her during that whirlwind engagement.

But I'm sure it also helped that Andrew's good heart became increasingly evident the longer we knew him. We all fell in love with him fast, because he is good. And I feel blessed to have had the Lord be out matchmaker. God knew what He was doing.

And doesn't Carrie Underwood sing this song so beautifully? Listen to those high notes!

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OUR LITTLE SPRUCE SPROUT

Andrew and Rachel. Beginning of December. Red pickup truck. 

The Mission?   

Drive for hours in a southerly direction in search of the perfect Christmas spruce to adopt and take home. 

It snowed the entire time. 

When we finally arrived at the mountaintop...

We began our tramp into the forest. A heavily blanketed forest.

It was all great fun wandering through the magically falling snow until...

...our need for snow shoes became emphatically apparent. Here, we had only sunk to our thighs. Not many moments later, I fell in past my belly button, and had to rely on Andrew to rescue me from certain death. 

If I had been alone, my legs would have remained rooted in their glaciated tomb until I starved or froze, whichever came first. And then I probably would have been eaten by wolves.

Have I ever mentioned how I love my Andrew?

As pressure mounted to find our tree before darkness completely fell, there were times we were literally swimming through the forest. This picture was taken just after Andrew advised me to "think light like a ballerina."

Apparently, this tactic doesn't work.

Finally, after excavating a tree from the snow that looked promising, we cut it, dragged it out of the forest, and loaded it into the truck.

And by 1:30 am back at our warm, dry home, the tree was set up and adorned for the holidays marking our mission a success! We are very happy with the addition to our family. But now, I must go and tend to the little sprout. He is in need of some water and many more hours of admiring. 

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

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I want to share with you a favorite Christmas song. It never meant much to me until I saw Judy Garland sing it on Meet Me in Saint Louis.  Nothing compared to the exquisite, humble manner in which she performed it. I think I may have even cried. So sorrowful! Yet, filled with an aching hope for the future.

The first video is just the song. But if you have a few extra minutes, watch the second video. It includes the scene with her ADORABLE little sister, Tootie, and makes the song even more meaningful.

Happy Holidays, blog buds. 

See you after Christmas.