The Daly News: Christmas 2014

Our first Christmas together was perfect. It was fun to combine our families traditions and come up with traditions for ourselves. December was busy. (Isn’t it always?) This years Gingerbread house was a Gingerbread carousel. It spun and everything. The Gingerbread Joy Project has been something I’ve really enjoyed creating each year. Each year I try and do something to stretch myself and this year building a moving platform and doing pulled sugar work really pushed me. I was a little worried with it being my first year in San Antonio, and I think I needed a project to ground me. It turned out exactly like I wanted it to.

In my family we collect ornaments from all the places we visit, and Grandma McGuire hand painted an ornament for each of us every year. My collection is one of my favorite things about Christmas, and decorating the tree with memories of her is just perfect. She loved Christmas. Since I’m married now, I got to bring my collection home. We had started this tradition for our little family when we got engaged. During our engagement trip we got a Vegas ornament, and on our honeymoon we got a time turner in Harry Potter World. It seemed fitting this year that our individual ornaments represented one of the biggest changes for our family.

Moving to Texas!

Since I had to work Christmas Eve, we decided to start a few new traditions of our own and have a little Christmas just us before flying home.

Scott put together a little program of reading scriptures and playing hymns on his saxophone and then we opened our Christmas jammies.

I am the worst secret keeper when I’m excited. Which isn’t hard to do. I get excited easily. For the past few months I’ve been working on a big present for Scott and his parents. Scott’s mom had mentioned to me the weekend I met her for the first time that one day she would really really like a book of all the letters Scott sent home on his mission. When I was googling Scott before our first date to make sure he wasn’t a serial killer, the only thing I found on him was his mission website. Which had every single letter he wrote home as well as pictures. I put all the letters and pictures into a blurb blog book. He had no idea it was coming. I was so excited I made him open it on our “Christmas Eve.” He’s a real sweetheart to put up with me and being too excited to wait for morning to open presents.

We opened presents the next morning and made waffles. Scott totally surprised me. I had to make a last minute business trip to UT to get one of my stores ready for Christmas and while I was gone he went to Nordstrom all by himself! He had noticed that I usually do my makeup in the car on the way to church and he noticed that I didn’t have a makeup bag. I had a very well loved box of makeup. He went to Nordy’s and talked to a couple sales associates. (“So I know I got the right thing. It’s legit”) He got me the coolest Trish McEvoy makeup bag I’ve ever. It has binder clips in the middle so you can flip through your makeup. Great spots for brushes and very sleek looking. I realize it’s a makeup bag, but it was really sweet to see that he noticed a need and filled the need. Man, I love the guy.

Then we were off to the airport to Flagstaff! We got there with plenty of time to eat fondue and do the Nativity. We were short a few members this year so we had to get creative. We finished the night with singing Christmas carols around the piano.

Did you know Scott’s favorite Christmas song is Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer? Those first few months in Texas were an adjustment to say the least. I just don’t handle the heat very well. While we opening presents Christmas morning I looked out the window and it started to snow!!! I didn’t even look for shoes I took off running in my jammies. I love the snow. I love how clean and pretty it makes everything and makes it so cozy inside. It was a fantastic Christmas present.

We spent the 26^th in Flagstaff with my family too. We drove to Sedona and went to hike West Fork. My Mom’s all time favorite hike. I had started to feel sick on Christmas and had a pretty bad fever, but with oils I was feeling good enough to hike. The hike was beautiful.

Then we went to go see Unbroken. Powerful movie, but too intense for me to see twice. The next day we went to St. George for Christmas with the Dalys! Unfortunately I kept getting sicker. No oils or medicine were putting a dent in it. I don’t really remember much of the 26^th. We went to lay down for bed and I started crying. I was texting my Mom and my symptoms were starting to get really similar to when I had CMV/Mono/Strep. I knew I needed to go to the hospital. My first Christmas with my in-laws, all of the Daly family was there, and I was embarrassed, and felt like I was ruining everyone’s Christmas. I told Scott we needed to go and how I worried everyone in the family was going to hate me for messing up everything. (rational I know.) We had returned our rental car too, so we needed to go wake up Dad and ask to borrow a car. I am so grateful that he was so in tune with what I needed. He asked me if I wanted Him and Scott to give me a blessing before we left. It was a beautiful Christmas present. Turns out I was really dehydrated and had a kidney infection. Awesome. Lots of fluids, and a prescription for steroids later, Scott took me to Taco Bell and I tried to pull myself together as we headed back to the house.

Turns out I married into an incredible family. (not shocked, but grateful) Family is an incredible thing. To feel completely at home and cared about in a new situation was such a blessing. I love my Dalys. I slept most of the next day and missed church, but I was determined to look normal for family pictures that afternoon. We took pictures and opened Christmas presents. We spent the next day sleeping and watching movies and then it was time to head home. Our flight was delayed in St. George so we would have missed our connecting flight from Salt Lake to San Antonio, so we stayed another night in St. George. Which was wonderful. Turns out everyone was just concerned that I was okay. They still like me. (I’ve promised to work on being more rational.)