{Merry Christmas!}

 The week has full. It started with the annual family tradition of Christmas caroling around the Marion neighborhoods - with all 45 members of Jordan's extended family. I have to admit...before I met Jordan I never knew that people still went Christmas caroling. But now it seems completely normal to me. I absolutely love it. 

Besides caroling, we have spent most of our time eating, relaxing with family, singing in the church choir together, and playing with baby Oliver. This morning was a typical Christmas with jammies and gifting. We finally got done opening presents at 3:00pm with a giant breakfast to follow. Now we are committed to watching Parks and Recreation and playing board games all night. It has been such a blessing to have all 10 of us Shepherds together for an entire weekend. We have too much fun together. 

And tomorrow we head to the mitten for another round of celebrating! Hello snow and Dowell family madness :) 

  

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

- John 1:1-6

{Grandma Rides the Zamboni}

Yesterday was a big day for my Grandmother. She checked off one of the items on her bucket list: riding the Zamboni at a hockey game. 

The whole family came along to support her and watch the Kalamazoo Wings play. We had killer front row seats, which ended up being perfect for waving to Grandma as she flew by on the Zamboni. During her ride, the crowd cheered, waved, and sang her the birthday song lead by the announcer man. She had a full five minutes of fame and a free T-shirt to go along with it. 

Happy 80th birthday to MaryEllen Burdick :)

{Graduated}

My husband is officially done with his undergraduate career! We finished finals for the fall semester last week, and now Jordan will be free to work full time somewhere (don't know where yet) while I finish my last semester of college. I just know that it's going to be a huge struggle for me to get any work done while Jordan is living a normal post-grad life.

Congrats babe! I'm so proud of you for making it through the past four years and coming out with an Honors GPA and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.  

4 months from now we will both be done with college and moving on to a completely new adventure. I really can't wait to find out where we will be headed next.

 Doesn't he look handsome with his new specs? 

{Ameriquest}

This is going to happen to Jordan someday. 

We watched about six of these awkward moment Ameriquest commercials on Youtube. So funny and uncomfortable at the same time. You should check out the rest of them here

{2011 Christmas Gift Guide}

For the Fella's

Areaware Alarm Dock 

Professor After Shave Balm 

Schmidt Brothers Steak Knife Set

Nixon Newton Digital Watch 

For the Ladies

The Jane Austen Handbook

Textured Cowlneck Sweater

Owl Dessert Plate

Forget Me Knot Ring

Porcelain Button Magnets

Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo or Conditioner (from 1970's)

Watercolor Wall Calendar 

Gold/Silver Sequined Skirt 

For Him or Her

Swiss Measuring Spoons

Bike Bell

The Retro Handset

His/Hers Organic Pleated Edge Towels

{Cory and Marie}

Our friends Marie and Cory are engaged! They are two of the most beautiful, creative, and godly people I know. Marie has been my friend since High School, and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. Marie is one of those truly unforgettable people. She challenges, inspires, and loves people in ways no one else does. Marie and Cory together are a couple seeking the Lord above all else. I cherish them, I look up to them, and I am so excited for what they will do together through their marriage. 

If you want to see what I'm talking about, just watch this video. It's probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. If you want to support them or learn more about their story or hear more of their music, go HERE.  If you want to see more of cory's awesome videography, you can watch our wedding videos, or visit his website. 

{Christmas Tree}

Meet our tree, Gus. Isn't he handsome? We spent three hours getting him to look this sparkly and bright. At first, the 'putting up the tree' process was stressful. The worst part was trying to figure out how to securely screw the trunk into the bucket thing. Once we accomplished that (well, once Jordan accomplished that), the rest was a breeze. We listened to the Sufjan Christmas album, hung our ornaments, and got covered in a glittery mess. It was all worth it though. The holidays are officially here, and our home smells like pine! What could be better?