The 12 Days of a Davis Christmas
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[/caption]On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me --a little red Volkswagen buggy
That's right! We have a new car! It's a Jetta Sportswagen TDI--in 'salsa red'. It has been such a blessing to be able to get around town and run errands that don't take 1/2 day on the bus. Driving stick shift proved to be quite the challenge and after much talking and prayer we decided that buying a car for long-term use (with room for the future Davis dumplings) would be best. I will be forever grateful to Peter for giving up his little zoomzoom--I know how much he liked that car--thankfully this new toy has lots of buttons for him to play with.
On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me--two ugly sweaters
I've always wanted to got to an ugly sweater party and this year was it! Finding such treasures was harder than I imagined-out of hundreds of sweaters at Goodwill, I only found one (but it was a beaut!) and Peter walked away with a Christmas tie. We spent a fun evening with friends from community group which included dinner, ice skating and a late run to Molly Moon's for ice cream!
On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me--three Christmas flicks
Well, technically two. We watched "A Christmas Story" while decorating our tree (which, by the way, is a really funny movie when watched all the way through in one sitting) and "It's a Wonderful Life". This was Peter's first introduction to George and Mary Bailey and as it turned out, not the last. Later in the month we attended "It's a Wonderful Life" Radio Theater at Taproot and watched the movie come to life.
On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--four ice skates rented
Nothing says 'winter holiday' like ice skating. In ugly Christmas sweaters. At the Seattle Center Rink. It's as close to riding in a one-horse open sleigh as it's going to get here in Seattle, and it was a blast. Peter and I sang Christmas carols off key (mostly me) while holding hands and going around in circles. At one point, some guy on the sidelines shouted out "You guys are so cute together". I agree.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--five lbs of chocolate!
Literally. I don't know how it happened, but at the end of several white elephant exchanges we came away with TONS of chocolate. Oh, and I can't forget about the smorgasbord of chocolate that both sets of parents bestowed upon us. Not that I'm complaining--we've made a healthy dent in the Lindt Truffle collection. Mmm..white chocolate creaminess!
On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--six fun tree bobbles
One of the Christmas traditions that Peter and I started was to purchase an ornament for each other each Christmas--one that represents the past year. This being our first year, we purchased several: 1) Jesus in the manger 2) Couples ornament (cheesy yes, adorable, also yes 3) Lighthouse (for our Maine Honeymoon) and 4) Stockings as tree-toppers. I also had the pleasure of being witness to Peter's handyman skills as he sawed off a bit of the bottom of the Christmas tree while still in the stand. This is what happens when one forgets to water a fresh tree...
On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--seven soapy snowflakes
Snowflake Lane is an annual tradition in downtown Bellevue where the streets are decorated with giant snowflakes and the holiday tunes and peppermint mochas are never-ending. Every evening in December high school kids dressed up as toy soldiers participate in a drum line and play all the favorites. The finale is a blizzard of foamy 'snowflakes' blown about to the delight of all the little kids---and some of the older kids too. The best part was the older couple standing next to us. This was clearly not their first attendance, and by the look on the husband's face, unfortunately, not their last. It was a small glimpse into our future---60 years old and still attending Snowflake Lane just because the wifey likes to do Christmasythings ad nauseam--now THAT'S love!
On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me --eight different coordinates
Christmas Eve was my first time geocaching, and ohmygoodness, where has this fun treasure hunt been all my life?! Peter and I were meeting a couple of good friends for dinner that evening in Fremont anddecided to spend the whole day in the city. The first adventure led us to the famous troll under the bridge where we located our first mini-cache. Our second cache was found by collecting several clues in the city that led to the final destination--a tree on the Burke-Gilman trail. More on this in the next post!
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[/caption]On the 9thday of Christmas my true love gave to me--nine Zarembas munching
The holiday swap has started! Since we spent Thanksgiving with Peter's parents, Christmas day was at the Zarembas(followed by the rest of the Christmas weekend with the Davis family). The morning began with a quick run to Safeway to pick up ingredients for the french toast casserole I was supposed to have assembled the night before. (Now I know that things shut down by 6pm on Christmas eve). Upon arriving in Kent, the flurry of last minute prep for the evening's dinner began, and by 11:30 we were ready for presents. The fun lasted till around 1pm at which time cooking ensued...and I do believe nap time occurred sometime between 2 and 4pm (for me). Dinner was fantastic, as always, and the evening concluded with a family picture in the living room and hugs and kisses all around.
On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--ten friends from youth group
Since I cannot recall when, my old group leaders from junior high school have graciously hosted a YAC Reunion party (Youth at Church) at their home on the 23rd of December. This is the first year that I've gone in the last 4 or 5, and it was really nice to see everyone and catch up. Most people are married and with little children of their own. The board games with small pieces have been replaced by giant plastic toys (this year,it was Mr.and Mrs. Potato Head with dozens of accessories) and conversations revolve around home remodeling, kids and all their little antics, and reflections on the past year. Several of us ended the evening with a 10pm viewing of Avatar in 3D with promises to see one another next year.
On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--eleven desserts for sampling
December started with the Expeditor's Christmas soiree at the Sheraton in Downtown Seattle. We mingled, enjoyed fancy little hour d oeuvres, and a bit of bubbly. After cocktail hour we were treated to a delicious holiday spread followed by an unbelievable selection of desserts. It was so hard to choose just one or two or three...so we divided and conquered and took bites of each other's picks. Yum!
On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me--twelve crazy chickens
Thanks to my sister Diana, our new year calendar is entitled "Extraordinary Chickens". Each month we have the pleasure of staring at a new chicken---fluffy, colorful, crazy-eyed--the fun just doesn't end. January's poultry sensation is a Silkie Bearded Buff Pullet which resembles a very puffy ball with little chicken legs.
Below are a few more pictures. Click on the thumbnail to see the full-sized image.
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.....cri, you're writing skills NEVER fail to amuse me. you and peter are - as always - adorable and your 12 days of christmas was no less enchanting. keep up all the good writing - we love reading it!
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~b
That was super entertaining :) I love that a complete stranger yelled out how cute you guys were at the skating rink!
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