Reflecting on a Christmas Weekend Full of Great Memories!

Christmas is that time of the year that family and friends come together to talk with those they have not seen in awhile, recollecting with them on the past year of life, exchange gifts, and of course, let us not forget, to fatten up on a variety of delicious foods!  I personally enjoy spending time with family and friends more than the other two.  This year's Christmas was different from all the rest because it was the first time I spent it away from my family.  While sad, I did get to spend the holiday weekend with a very special person who has done nothing short of changed my life over the past year.  This past year has been full of unforgettable memories with the gorgeous Kati Lynn.  I could very well write a short novel of all the amazing things we have done together, but alas I shall save that perhaps for this weekend and keep my focus on this past weekend for now! 

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I noticed an article on www.stltoday.com that listed Branson as one of the top 10 Christmas lights displays.  We had been wanting to go to Texas or New Orleans, but given my new job and lack of vacation, that was not a possibility yet.  Thus, I suggested that we go to Branson for a Thursday night -- Saturday morning trip.  We kept the plan simple and decided to go to Silver Dollar City on Friday for the day to see the lights.  My anticipation had been built up the entire week letting up to this trip because everyone had been telling us how amazing the lights were down in Branson.  I have to say, I was not disappointed!  Below are just a few pictures of our great little trip!

This was just the start to a PERFECT weekend!  We also went to church twice on Christmas Eve, first at the Catholic Church we have started attending since my move to Kansas City, St. Mark's, and second at her family's Episcopal Church.  We have grown to love St. Mark's since the very first week we attended mass there because the priest is nothing short of amazing.  I have never seen a priest so connected and so in tune with the parishioners.  Just a few weeks ago, he received a standing ovation for his sermon and at the end of the mass on Christmas Eve, he brought all the kids to the front of the church with him to assist him with the final blessing before mass ended.  I cannot wait for us to not only get involved at the church, but also to meet this priest.  Simply put, this priest is a role model for all current priests and those striving to become one!

I have just covered the first two days of the weekend to this point and there is so much more to talk about still!  After we went to our second mass of the today, we returned home late that evening around 12:15 am.  I had suggested to Kati that we open our gifts before going to bed because, first, I wanted to see what she had gotten me, but more importantly, I wanted her to see what I had gotten her.  So the wrapping and tissue paper began to fly to reveal what we had gotten each other with her cat Lucy having a grand old time playing in the scraps!  After opening 3 gifts myself (she got me a scarf, sleeping pants that are super comfortable, a yankee candle, and a laptop bag), she opened her gift to unveil a jewelry box!

We were both quite pleased with the gifts we had gotten each other, but most of all, we were thankful just to have each other because that is what matters most to the both of us.  For me, the best Christmas gift is having her in my life and knowing she is there for me no matter how bad of a day I am having or how difficult of challenge I have that lies in front of me.  She truly is the BEST THING EVER to happen to me and I thank God everyday for bringing her into my life!

After a fun Christmas Eve, Christmas Day had finally arrived.  We spent the day with her aunt and uncle just across the border in Kansas.  It was quite the fun day full of DELICIOUS food and great conversation.  I enjoyed playing UNO for the first time in years that evening!  I look forward to many many many more Christmas's with Kati!

To wrap up the 4 day weekend, we went four-wheeling yesterday with one of her best friend's who was in Kansas City for the week.  I had never been four-wheeling my entire life, but it was incredibly fun!   Kati chose to hold on to me the entire time rather than drive which I enjoyed greatly...it will definitely be something I would like to do in the future again. 

This sums up what was a Christmas weekend full of great memories that I will never forget!  Most important though was spending it with the one very special person with whom I am going to spend the rest of life.  Having her in my life is the greatest Christmas gift EVER! :)

My Introduction to Blogging!

For my introduction to the blogging world, I would like to provide my before and after perspectives on it.  I have for the longest time resisted the world of blogging for many a reason.  Some of those reasons were as follows:

(1) Blogging is a waste of time...I figured the time one spends blogging they could be doing something more productive (reading a good book, enjoying a challenging jigsaw puzzle, exercising, etc.)

(2) Blogging is a way to hide one's intermost thoughts from others...I have always found something wrong with private posts, especially when they are used to keep secrets from close friends and significant others.

(3) Blogging is a female thing...I do not know why I have this preconceived notion in my mind, but I have always seen blogging as more of a female thing!

(4) Blogging is just a cry for attention from others...I realize that this sounds harsh, but I truly felt this way at one point in time.  It seemed inherently selfish and vain to me to post all about your life and thoughts in a blog.

These perspectives have changed over time though as I have grown to understand the meaning of blogging.  With that said, my reasons for finally starting a blog are as follows:

(1) While blogging can be a cry for attention for some, it is not for everyone.  You can choose to blog about whatever you want.  I find some blogs quite fascinating because an individual takes the time to be creative with it!  I hope to make my blog a creative perspective of my journey through life as I grow in my Catholic faith, as a young attorney, and my relationship with the amazing Kati Lynn.

(2) Blogging does not have to be just a female thing, it can be a male thing too, it just depends on what direction you choose to take your blog!

(3) Blogging can be a creative exercise for the mind (I have to say, I have spent the last two hours just creating my blog and coming up with what I wanted to make my first post about!). 

(4) While blogging can be used to hide one's intermost thoughts from others, not everyone does that.  This notion of mine was influenced by a bad past experience in which I had many a feelings hidden from me before having my heart broken.  I found it unfair and selfish and immediately correlated any form of journaling / blogging with that experience.  I have since concluded that not all individuals choose to blog / journal in this fashion. 

(5) It fascinates me to think that I can one day look back on my blog and see how I have grown in life and in my faith!  This for me is the main reason I have the desire to start a blog.

With that said, this is officially the start of my blog!  I am excited to see my life unfold in words, pictures, and videos over the coming months.  And I feel a blog post is not complete without a picture, so here is one of my beautiful girlfriend and I. 

Until next time!