The holidays are here...

Christmas is so close I can taste it...only this year it doesn't taste as good as it usually does. Unfortunately, Alison and I cancelled our trip to Thailand due to the drama that has been taking over the airports. We really didn't want to get caught in the mess over there. So with that said we've been trying to make replacement plans and make the best with what we have, though obviously quite disappointing at the same time. This week Alison and I will be going to our church's Christmas party and preparing to have some of our school staff over for a Christmas get together. There are also a few things that we are looking forward to this Christmas now that we'll be here on the island...getting to attend the Christmas eve service at church and fellowshipping at the open house on Christmas Day at our Pastor's home. We're hoping to go up to Nago the day after Christmas for some more sightseeing for the week. There should also be a few other events here and there that will help to make the season bright! Hmm...seeing all those things in writing makes me think this next month may not be too bad, maybe even a little busy!

The picture above is my very own homemade nativity bulletin board (My cute store-bought one is sadly sitting in my garage at home). I think I did it the way my elementary teachers did things (traced it on the wall from the overhead to enlarge it, then colored). Anyhow, it turned out well and that's one less big white spot on my walls. :)

The pictures below are of our apartment a few hours after I put up our Christmas lights. Sad huh? It was actually quite funny as Alison and I were in my room catching up on our sling box shows and hearing these weird noises that made us perk up and sit quietly for a moment. Apparently no amount of double sided tape or scotch tape can keep those suckers on the wall. I think I've been up and down from the chair about a dozen times since putting them up yesterday...though I must say they've remained in place for several hours now! :) Can you spot our cute little Charlie Brown tree? It's our buy from the 100 yen store, no it wasn't 100 yen...try 1,000 yen ($10). I think it's cute even though our TV dwarfs it! :) 10 days of school left and counting...