Christmas is officially here!

Though late in posting, two Saturdays ago we had a WONDERFUL time as the Gearhart guys came over to my house and brought a REAL Christmas tree with them for my house. It is six feet wide and about 7 1/2 feet tall and it's amazing! There is no picture yet available but hopefully will be coming soon! This night was also a very special night as Andy watched for the first time in his life "It's a Wonderful Life". I, myself, grew up watching this movie as part of a Christmas time tradition and loved every minute of it, like always. I believe Andy really enjoy it and realizes he never had truly lived before but now can since he's watched it! :) The house smells great as the Christmas tree scent fills it up. The tree is now completely decorated with all the lights, ornaments from the collections of Andy, Jamie, Sarah and myself - we even have ornaments from Israel made of wood that the Gearhart's brought back with them. It is definitely a GREAT Christmas tree and we're loving it. Although somewhat larger than we probably need I think Andy does really enjoy having a REAL tree and hopefully sees how great they are and we should have them every year in OUR house! :)

The Nativity Story

What a great story to see read, hear and visualize, especially this Christmas season! Just as "The Passion" helped us visualize the reality of the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ, "The Nativity Story" helped Andy and I visualize the reality of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Viewed more so from the human perspective of Mary, Joseph and the wise men we see how God worked divinely through all of them and how the prophecies unfolded with the journey of faith in Mary and Joseph. Faith and courage from Mary and Joseph were both required and tested as they experienced God's divine intervention in their lives. This movie is a GREAT movie and I highly recommend it to everyone! Go and see it, then praise God once again for the mirable and blessing of the birth of Jesus Christ.