A December to Remember - so far

This December has been SO busy (this is why I'm SO behind on the blog). It is definitely a December to remember with all that is going on. With Shaun living with us - I'm kind of having to play mom for him a bit - I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to ;) Only because I don't like telling him what he needs to do, I just want to be his buddy. But the poor guy is like any other recently returned missionary and lacks some direction in some of the more worldly tasks he needs to tackle before school starts: buying a car, finding a place to live, and FINDING A JOB! Does anyone have any job leads or ideas for my Shauny boy to work part time while living down in Provo? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.  :)
Also THE wedding is 3 weeks from today!!! Ahhh! I am just realizing that for the first time! I don't even know how much I've talked about the wedding on the blog - I'm realizing probably next to none, just because it has all happened so fast. They decided a wedding date in October, were officially engaged in November, and the wedding is January 4th. Since my mom lives out in NC and Karlie's family lives out in CA, we have been working together to make all of the wedding stuff happen.
Karlie is the greatest! I have had the opportunity to get to know her over the last six months and she is GREAT! I love watching her and Zac interact together, truly as best friends. She appreciates Zac and loves him so much! Growing up, I always told my friends that whoever marries Zac better appreciate how amazing he really is and Karlie is that to a T. She is perfect for him! I have never seen him more confident and comfortable with himself and I know that it's because he has an amazing fiancé that loves him and has confidence in him. Love you Karlie! Of course, Zac SCORED! Karlie is such a driven, bold person that knows what she wants and is one of the most faith-filled members of the church I have ever met! Not to mention - she is GORGEOUS! These two are a power couple in the gospel and have a the fire of missionary work within them watch out!

I love this pic of them :)

Meet Karlie
We threw a shower for her the same weekend of Shaun's homecoming

So far Brad and I have done what we can to enjoy the holiday season and making sure we find time together - specifically down time to make sure we are on the same page and that we are feeling connected.
Last weekend we went to Festival of Trees with some friends and to Brad's work party. I hadn't been to Festival of Trees in years and I loved it. I loved getting new ideas for decorating, and learning about all of these sad stories - but that glittered with hope. I am so grateful for hope and the joy it provides in life as we face different challenges and trials. We also tried Noodles and Co. for the first time. Why have I waited so long to eat their Mac and Cheese (my favorite). So good!

Brad's work party was a Masquerade. It was fun to get dressed up and make our own masks. I will have you know, I made my mask in about three minutes - I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out. :) They had a yummy dinner and some fun entertainment, but the lines were long for everything and it was too loud to hear anyone. But we still had fun on a night out, dressed up.

This week we went to the movie FROZEN. Oh heavens! It is such a darling movie! I don't want to talk it up too much, but we are so excited to buy it when it comes out. We have spent the last 3 days listening to the music, quoting it, and watching clips of it on YouTube. My favorite character, by far is the snowman, Olaf. I recommend everyone go see it :)
Friday night we went to our traditional Alpine Christmas. It has been going on for 8 years and I haven't missed a year. We have made it a tradition since being married and I love it. The music is always beautiful and it's always fun to see what new talent they will bring every year. There was an 11 year old girl there that totally blew my mind. She was amazing! There is another show tonight, so GO!
Tonight we will be going up to Salt Lake to go to dinner and Temple Square with some new friends and we are so excited. We are hoping we will run into Brad's sister, Mindy (serving as a Temple Square missionary) while we are there and hope to snap a picture or two with her.
So to sum it up, we are reestablishing an RM, planning a wedding, getting ready to have 8 people all staying together in our basement apartment, and trying to soak up all of the holiday festivities - enjoying the Christmas season. We feel so blessed to have so many good, exciting things happening in our lives right now and hope we can continue to enjoy the rest of it. :)
That, my friends, is a December to remember.