Merry Christmas!

And a Merry Christmas it was!! A ton of fun was had with family and friends, and lots of gifts to go around. On Christmas Eve, Adam joined us at church. After church we all met at Grandma and Grandpa's for pizza, pictures, and gifts. I felt pretty creative in my gift ideas this year. A little more thoughtful and inspired than usual, I guess. We got Grandpa a big hardback book on the History of Aviation (one of his favorite things). He seemed to be interested in it and even pointed out the plane he flew in during the war. We got Grandma a new snowman ornament and an earrings and necklace set (which was quite the deal from Kohl's I must say!). Grandma and Grandpa got Adam and me several items from my Lakeside Collection catalog. She got me the other half of my flag collection and the bear breeze blocker - both so cute! We got several ornaments (one homemade), money, and a cross-stitched old-fashioned Santa Claus. She's so crafty! My aunt Barb from Colorado always sends gifts. She got Adam and me a silver plate with a Home Sweet Home on the front. After that, we headed to Adam's step-grandmother's house for cookies and punch. And if that wasn't enough, we headed to the Harrington's to play XBox 360's "Rock Band" with Brian afterwards. I was the lead singer, but not too bad at bass either. The band split early though, due to artistic differences (i.e. I didn't like/know most of the songs!).

Christmas morning we got up early to exchange gifts and see what "Santa" brought. We still love the tradition of having Mom sneak the gifts under the tree while we're sleeping. And, she still works hard to make sure all the wrapping paper is coordinated and each "child" (Adam, Tyson, and Brutus included) has an equal number of gifts. Mom went all out - too much so - as usual. The boys got plenty of piggy ears, treats, squeaky toys, bones, and Brutus got his new favorite toy - a ball with a jingle bell in it. It seems like a cat toy, but he can't get enough of it! Mom got Adam and me a lawn game (best known as "hillbilly golf"), socks and undies, a new game called "Finish Lines" (which was played tonight at the Harrington house), two new dress shirts for me, a Reds shirt for Adam, a Bengals frisbee, fire extinguisher, Seinfeld on DVD, lamp timers, tons of stocking-stuffer candy, and much more that I'm probably forgetting!

We got Mom a B&BW foaming hand soap, Pyrex carrier, Brutus and Tyson with Santa photo and frame, and the famous Grand-doggies Calendar. Dad got the ever exiting bath towels. Allison got a HSM2 pillow and trivia game which she went crazy about. Allison got us all OSU shirts and we also got a cute bear coaster holder (again, from my favorite catalog).

Then it was time for Adam and I to exchange gifts. And guess what??? (Cue "Carol of the Bells" music) I gotta, gotta, gotta Garmin...!!! A Garmin nuvi 750 navigation system, to be exact. You can view the commercials that got me singing their name here. It is my new favorite toy (along with my camera). It's also my new best friend. I can't believe he spent that much, but I have been jokingly hinting that I've been wanting one for months now, ever since I went to California and saw its wonders. I keep wanting to drive everywhere, even though I know where I'm going because it's just so fun! And I can look for any type of restaurant, shopping, gas, lodging, transportation, or parking that I need. I can't wait to go on a real trip with it and put it to the test. I love my hubby! And since he didn't think that was enough, he also got me the Mutt Book to help me decode my Heinz 57 doggies, the Alicia Keys CD I've been wanting, and the Christmas Classics DVD I've also been bugging him about. (I'm good at dropping hints.) We watched Rudolph, one of my all-time favorites, tonight.

I got Adam a lot of smaller items. He got a Fender t-shirt, gym bag and lock, rare John Mayer CD (which was previously eaten by his old CD player and needed replaced), Calendar of the Boys, and his big gift was his Luggage and Garment bag. Sorry, not quite as exciting as the Garmin! :( But much needed for our cruise, which is less than a month away! One more gift is lost in the mail somewhere. I hope that holiday bonus and raise are coming soon!!

I had previously mentioned that Adam had a big surprise for me when I came back from Michigan several weeks ago. I am now able (and excited) to announce that he got promoted to Project Manager and he is also now considered an Assistant Vice President - sounds pretty prestigious (and hot!) to me. :) Yay, Adam! All the hard work definitely paid off, as the position was just handed to him without an interview and typically requires 7 years of experience in the field. He was told it was the easiest decision to promote ever made. I'm so happy for him!

Anyways, back to the holiday story. After opening gifts at home, we headed to Nan and Pa's for more festivities. However, it's getting late, plus I have pictures to upload and post once I get home to my laptop tomorrow. I will continue the story before the end of the week... until then... Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!