Christmas Celebrations 2008

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Dodds. We left on December 23 after Andrew got off work and headed up to Lake Ann through a snowstorm. It took us 4 hours to make a normally 2 to 2 1/2 hour trip. It was snowing and really windy and so we just took our time getting up north. We made it safely in and our new car was such a blessing, not sure if we would have made it up some of the hills and around some of the turns if we had been in the 99 Ford Escort. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Mom and Dad Dodd's home. It was so wonderful to relax and have fun with them. On Christmas Eve, we played games, watched the old version of the Christmas Carol, ate beef stick and cheese, and made Andrew's new favorite pizza "Buffalo Chicken Pizza". It was so great to celebrate old traditions and enjoy time together. We had Monkey Bread and Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffins on Christmas morning when we woke up. We had a wonderful time of giving and receiving gifts (we had been saving some of their gifts since our trip to Africa). Later on, we all bundled up and went and took pictures out in the snow! It was SO fun and crazy!! They had at least 3 1/2 or 4 feet of snow. It was taller than me in some of the piles. Made snow angels and had a great time laughing and playing in the snow. After warming up and hot cocoa, we had an amazingly yummy Christmas dinner and played some more games together. Our time with them went by too fast! It was a blessing to celebrate and remember the birth of Christ together.

Friday morning, the 26th, we packed up our car Roxy and headed diagonally across the state to Clinton Township. The weather was much better for this traveling day. We arrived at the Schneider home and spent the evening playing a new game we got from Andrew's parents called Balderdash. The next morning, we woke up early and headed to Grandma M's house to take her out to breakfast and celebrate Christmas with her. Grandma can no longer see, so we got her a carved ebony elephant from South Africa as a gift. It was so neat to see her face light up when she recognized the shape of the animal and she was so appreciative of us thinking of the perfect gift for her. We we got home, later that morning, Kevin and Angela and Elizabeth arrived. We spent the afternoon with them and the rest of Kate's family (and G as well) talking, playing with the baby, and playing a new game Kevin had gotten (we sure do like to play games huh?). Mom made lasagna for dinner, and afterward we all exchanged gifts and had the annual Christmas stocking game (you have to guess what the wrapped gifts in your stocking are, whoever has the most points wins). Fun times, lots of laughter and smiles, and memories made. We headed home to Granville the next afternoon after church. It was great to be back home and back into the routine of life here.

Our families are such an important part of our lives, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful, loving, encouraging people who care about us. We thank the Lord for each of you for the impact you make in our lives!