That's What Love Looks Like: Been a While

Well, it's been a while... over 2 months to be exact! Pulled an Angela... have a great idea with a great beginning, a good middle, and it fizzles at the end. Oh well... to be expected I guess.

Tonight I found the emails Josh and I would send to each other while we were dating/engaged. It's fun to read those things. Because we didn't live together and both had jobs where we couldn't talk on the phone, many of our deep conversations occured over email. For example, my dog Jake was a real discussion-maker in our early relationship. Josh and I would try to work it out via email. Not such a bad idea, ya know. You can type something in huge capital letters because you are SUPER UPSET to get it off your chest, then rewrite like a sane person with normal type and far less cussing. :) Nowadays, though, we are much better at communicating face to face. I guess, just like everything else, it takes practice. I add this to this post because "it's been a while" since I read those. Brought back some wonderful memories and reminded me why I married that wonderful man of mine.

Update: We had our first Christmas here at the Sweeney house! It was so wonderful that I hardly want to take it down and box it up! The WHOLE MONTH was soooo great. I'm really sad that it's going away. I enjoyed it so much! I'm already looking forward to next year. With that in mind, here is what I need to remember going into Christmas 2012...
== Do all the cookie baking in as few days as possible to keep the kitchen to a minimal mess.
== Ask Josh what cookies he wants. He doesn't like "bobo" cookies... whatever the heck that means.
== Make sure to look at the Advent calendar nightly. Forgot a lot of that this year.
== Do the wrapped Christmas books again. Soooo fun for my baby boy.
== Start preparing Christmas dinner earlier than I did this year. Have the casseroles prepared for the oven well in advance.
== Cover the brisket so it doesn't overcook... again. (Sheesh... still sad about that.) Or cook it in the crock pot.
== The brisket's sauce can be sauteed and still be good.
== Start the appetizer before you start the meal... duh.
== Follow Gina's suggestion: Put a list on the fridge of everything that needs to be cooked in the correct order and check it off as you go. Makes it more of a no-brainer.
== Plan dinner so there is plenty of time to play games and such. Start traditions like that, too.
== Start Christmas shopping in Oct. or before at yard sales and stuff.
== Don't forget to put the reindeer food in the yard.
== Don't forget to let the kids make an ornament marking the year.

Despite this ridiculously long list of "duh" moments, Christmas was really the best one every. I'm really going to try to celebrate Christmas every day and thank God for giving me his Son on that very special day so I can share it with my kids.

I <3 Christmas.