Happy 25th Birthday Josh!

Today Josh became 25 years old. He received the complete Calvin and Hobbes set from his parents and will be spending a weekend in New Orleans later this year with me.



To celebrate we did not go after Christmas shopping! We did, however, have lunch at Bill Miller's and dinner at the Salt Lick. Once we returned, Josh blew out the candle on his Italian cream birthday cake.



All these promises that we make and we break...why is it that you think people get married? Because we need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet, I mean what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything... the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all the time, every day. You're saying... Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed, because I will be your witness.

- Shall We Dance (2004)

Day at the Ranch

On 26 Dec, Josh, Sadie, Perry and I went to Josh's paternal side Christmas get-together outside of Goliad, Texas. It was the first time for Sadie and Perry to visit a ranch - or any type of unconstrained environment that was not a home or dog park - and they had a lot of fun!





The dogs met Ellie Mae, Josh's grandparents' dog, and herded cows for the first time. Sadie is a purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Perry is partially a German Shepherd, and the herding instinct came out - it was definitely more obvious in Perry than it was in Sadie, and that was surprising.



The dogs also had their first ride in a truck and met many new people.





That evening, the Schneider family got together to exchange gifts. There were some interesting presents!







I'm thankful for... a family - made much larger with our marriage!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New International Version)

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Our First "Official" Family Portrait

 

My dad took this photo of Perry, Josh, Sadie and me this Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas!

Like every other Christmas season, Josh and I spent Christmas Eve with my family, then visit his family for Christmas.

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. We ate an early dinner, including the traditional German dishes like bratwurst and red cabbage. Then, we opened presents. Josh got a "Super Mario Galaxy" game for his Wii, restaurant gift certificate, T-shirt, Wrath of Khan DVD and more. My gifts included cookbooks and clothing.



My mom gave the doggies each one Dingo bone as a Christmas present before we started opening gifts - a great idea! Hopefully we will remember it for next year, as it kept them calm.



Like last year, Josh gave me a pair of flannel pajamas to wear on our Christmas Eve night drive. We arrived in San Antonio to see the other three dogs (including ours - five are in the house) and let them all out. Once they calmed down, we unloaded our car and got settled. Soon after, everyone returned from the Christmas Eve service and we caught up.



The next morning was Christmas morning, so we all sat around the tree and opened presents. Like the night before, Josh and I were very surprised and grateful for all of the gifts. Dean and Glenda gave us a DVD camcorder and also a cookbook with family recipes (something I had been thinking of doing separately, so it really could not have been better timing!). Josh gave me some wine glasses, a "watching a girly movie package" (including dog bones, a candy bar, hot chocolate mix and a very soft blanket for two), and a comfortable "lounge set" of a jacket and pants.



I got Josh the last of the Sopranos DVD sets and the Mac OS Leopard for his laptop.



Josh's siblings got Guitar Hero - so we were both able to play that... and our skills could definitely be improved!



Later that day, we enjoyed a huge Christmas lunch with turkey, lots of sides and pies. After that, I tried to relax and read through cookbooks - but I continually attracted the canines!



At night, some more of Josh's family came over for dinner. The puppies were very excited, and it was nice to see everyone.



I'm thankful for... spending Christmas with our families.


Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Hymn # 31 from Lutheran Worship
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854

Busy Baking

On Friday and today, I was able to finally catch up on holiday baking:

Chocolate Cookie Bark



Toffee



Chocolate-Covered Pretzels



Spiced Pecans




Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies



Chocolate Grasshopper Brownie Cookies



I was also able to try some other dishes. I finally made Cooking Light's Cream of Asparagus soup. Today, for dinner, I made Cooking Light's Spinach and Artichoke Dip, tried another Cooking Light recipe - Southwestern Turkey Soup and made Panettone Bread Pudding based on a Giada de Laurentiis recipe.

The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.
-Elf

Family Fun

Starting Thursday afternoon, I have vacation until the end of the year. This means that I can use the extra time to catch up on baking and spend time with family.

On Saturday, Josh and I took the dogs to my parents' house for Christmas Tree decorating. I brought over some of the treats I made on Friday.

Sadie and Perry were going on a walk and were able to re-unite with one of their dog friends, Newton. Since Newton is a lot older than Sadie and Perry, and Sadie and Perry are very energetic, he was relieved when their leashes were re-attached.



After their walk, they were able to play with Aaron in my parents' backyard.



Josh played around on Aaron's guitar while we were there too.



Today my family came over to our house for dinner and to watch some Christmas movies - "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Elf."



I'm thankful for... spending time with my family.

And he puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."
-Dr. Suess

Our First Christmas Season in Our First House

This December is the first one that Josh and I have spent in our house. While we haven't gone crazy with decorations, we did setup our tree and put out our other decorations. Perhaps next year we'll get a larger tree - we just wouldn't be sure where to put it.