mmmm christmas time

I revert to being about 5 yrs old when Christmas comes around every year. I love the lights, trees, snow, and hustle bustle of it all. This year was a year of firsts for me. My first christmas as a wife, as a Larsen, and the first christmas spent with my new in laws. I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect and if I would feel at home and cozy as I think we all should during this special time of year... But no need for worries in the end, all is well! I had a wonderful white christmas in Utah filled with skiing, hot chocolate and lots of love! It is nice to be able to say that I already feel at home here with my new family. I couldn't have asked for better in laws :) Happy Holidays and a big Thank You to my wonderful family and friends for the joy they bring to my life! A special shout out if you will to my wonderful husband of almost a year now.. I love him so much!

I have thought a lot lately about my priorities and what christmas really means to me. Sometimes, almost always I go overboard on gifts and spend way more than I want to but I cant think of anything I love more than giving presents and putting smiles on my loved ones faces. But I cant get out of my head the many people that don't have loved ones to spoil and love them, or the numerous struggling families right now. So we do the ornament thing at church and donate gifts to good causes for children, but there has to be more! Is it better to try and help as many as you can a little bit or pick a few and really strive to help them feel Christ's love and their worth in this great big world? I need some thoughts from you all... I feel such an urge to reach out because we have been so richly blessed but am unsure where or how to start...??? Any thoughts?!

lovin me some Italy

Allright so I am back from my world travels and let me just say that Italy is a force to be reckoned with! It is one of the most beautiful history filled places I have ever seen. It takes my breath away to see the buildings of ancient Rome and the water streets of Venice, the Vineyards of Sienna, The leaning tower of Pisa, The Cinque Terres, and the Duomos of Florence. Places I have read about, seen in movies, and Ill admit even dreamed about all my life I finally got to see. This vacation is the only one I can remember that lived up to all my expectations. If any of you ever get a chance to go.....GO!!!!!! Its hard to put into words the culture that still exists that was put into place centuries ago, or the reverence these people have for their way of life and the history of their towns (Pride like I have never seen). The Duomos over there are incredible, the detailed architecture of these enormous buildings that were built in the 13th century and are still standing!!! Im pretty sure not many buildings built today will stand that long! Ah just amazing. Needless to say I had a blast and Italy now holds a special place in my heart. I will say though that it was good to come home. We really are spoiled over here in the US... we live luxurious lives with wonderful amenities that we sure do take for granted. Here are a few pictures just to give you a glimpse. You will have to come visit me if you want to see more ;) Yes, Im blackmailing you to come visit me because I have seriously missed my buddies (u know who you are).

my most recent projects

My sister, Monica is having a little boy in a couple of weeks so for her baby shower I made some name blocks for her and a wipey case. These are the finished results...let me know what u think. They are my first attempt at both things so they aren't great but hey you gotta start somewhere...

We leave for Europe tomorrow morning ( YAY!!!) so I will post pix asap :)

Decisions

Its funny how life turns out to be something completely different than you ever pictured, even though you always knew it would. Nothing is ever as it seems and lets be honest would I really want my life to be what I had pictured or hoped for in high school? Thats a big fat NO! Life seems to go in cycles where I go from baby to adult about every 2-4 yrs. I am constantly humbled and brought to my knees by people and things I felt were solid. I find myself teaching people who once taught me and vice versa.... I think that in some way we will all be tested in every way and how those tests and when they manifest themselves catch me by surprise and quite often take my breath away. I am at a place in my life when there are endless options and possibilities in which way I could go, but I am also at a place where I really just want to be and do what is best for me and my Amazing companion.... I have some very hard and important decisions to make...How?! My new favorite quote to say to myself is "Go forward with Faith" The emphasis being on going forward. I can have all the faith in the world but it will get me nowhere if I dont put one foot in front of the other and just Move. He can not guide my footsteps if I have none.

Well I am a blog virgin so this might take a bit to get up and going and become interesting to read...Be patient with me! We are in the process of decorating and furnishing our house so I am starting a lot of projects but not really finishing anything because every piece depends on every other piece and so on and so forth. This is not my strength but I am trying. I have vowed to make my house cute! So far I have a door, a trunk, and two windows laying in my garage awaiting their transformations. I found them all at an antique flea market recently...which I am pretty stoked about cuz they were cheap and they have amazing potential. Emily and shelby have immersed me in antiques recently and I am discovering how fun they can be. Cameron is, of course, a fan because I spend a lot less money this way and he now has projects to keep him busy. He will do anything to keep off the couch watching TV. Speaking of, we are off to Europe on the 29th of this month to gallavant in the beautiful vineyards of Italy, the Vatican of Rome, and the romantic sights of Paris!!! I cannot wait and will take tons of pictures to share. Dont be mislead by the clothing. It may appear that all my pictures are taken on the same day....We are backpacking so we are limited to very few clothing items.... This should be interesting. I have a hard time leaving for a three day trip with less than two suitcases. 18days and one backpack is IMPOSSIBLE but necessary.