Week 23: Merry Lil Landis Christmas

Merry Christmas! We are already partially through our Christmas celebrations so we are really feeling like it has already happened, but it is only the 23^rd! There is so much more Christmas to be celebrated. The past week seems like it went by so quickly! It was my last week staying home alone and studying all day and it marked the end of Jonathan working for the year!

Monday I got my truck back from the mechanic and it is functioning at tip-top shape! We are now established at a mechanic in western Ohio, so that makes us feel a lot better. The best part is, it is so close I just walked there to go pick it up! It was a nice day, so the walk was nice and brisk! We got our last Christmas gifts in the mail and I finished all my wrapping! Jonathan had Bible study, which ended up being a hang out with Dillon and Graham. They helped Graham prepare for the new carpeting he was getting! We had Chicken Pot Pie soup for dinner. It was a new recipe…good, not great. I don’t think I have classified it as a keeper at this time, but it was okay! Our photos we ordered the week before came in, so we put them in our new and old frames and placed them around the house. I love having them displayed for people to see!

Tuesday I took a walk into town in the afternoon. Downtown Wapak is just up the road from us and it is very festive right now! Jonathan got a haircut after work and then we went to the gym, finished our gift wrapping, did some reading, played some music and watched Angela’s Christmas to finish out the evening!

Wednesday was pretty slow too. I went to the gym and made a blueberry crumble for our Christmas morning. In the evening, Jonathan had dinner with Pastor Tony, so I stayed home, played piano and read while he was gone in the evening. After he got home, we played Kings in the Corner and got a plan together for Thursday.

Christmas tree with presents!

Thursday was my last day home alone and Jonathan’s last day of work! I got our breakfast ready for our Christmas morning, did some laundry and finished my studying for the month. Jonathan did some grocery shopping for me and then he came home and Dillon and Graham came over for games and pizza. We played Killer Bunnies (a card game) while they were there and after they left we played some Banangrams (similar to Scrabble, but a little different). After we got ready for bed and weren’t going to use the living room anymore, Jonathan put his gifts for me under the tree and covered them with a sheet, then I put my gifts for him under the tree and I pulled the sheet off mine as I walked away, so neither of us saw the gifts under the tree until we woke up in the morning!

Friday morning we woke up and had our Lil Landis Fam Christmas! It was so fun to have our first Christmas together as its own separate day since we will be on the road during our actual Christmas! Jonathan got me stockings with our names on them, a Wicked t-shirt and song book in memory of our engagement day, a new pair of nice gloves, Bourne Supremacy (a movie), a wireless charger and a pharmacy clipboard. I got him a valet box, Darkest Hour (a movie), a long-sleeved gray shirt, a 10.25” cast iron skillet and a travel map with pins. After we opened gifts we ate breakfast which consisted of two new recipes: overnight apple cinnamon oatmeal and blueberry crumble. The blueberry crumble was amazing, the oatmeal recipe will not be considered a keeper. Unfortunately, our internet went out, which kept us from being able to watch any TV or catch up on our shows, like we were planning. Instead, Spectrum sent a service man out to hook up our neighbor’s internet – they got internet and we lost ours, what a deal! So we spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get them to come fix it, it didn’t work but we still had a great day! We played Ticket to Ride, watched Bourne Identity and Yours, Mine and Ours, packed for our Christmas trip and had ribs for dinner. It was a fantastic first Christmas, even if it didn’t go as planned.

Our new stockings!

Saturday we woke up early and got ready to go. I packed the truck while Jonathan dealt with the Spectrum guy who came to fix our internet. We cleaned the house and got it ready for our leaving. Once the Spectrum guy was done we hopped in the truck and left for Indiana. The Hochstedler Christmas started at 12, so we got there just in time for the festivities to begin! I had never been there before, so it was a new experience for me and a good one at that! Jonathan’s cousin, Cory, and his wife, Grace, hosted the event that lasted from 12 until 9. There were about 40 of us there and it was such a good time. There were lots of kids and lots of great people to spend time with and catch up with. Everyone is so welcoming and I already feel like part of the family! After lunch, Jonathan and I played Skip-Bo with Logan, Justin, Lucas and Derek, then a bunch of other people ended up jumping in and out while we were playing. In the afternoon we had a gift exchange. They draw names at Thanksgiving and everyone submits a list of things they may want. I had Diedrea and got her a calendar, hot pads and a candle, Jonathan had Logan and got him a Notre Dame stocking cap. Jonathan got some socks, a pair of earmuffs and The Martian (a movie) from Cory and I got milkshake spoons, a kitchen timer and Gifted (a movie) from Kailey. I had never been involved in a gift exchange like that and it was so fun to see what everyone got! Throughout the day we played a lot of games, Jonathan and a bunch of the guys went out and played football, I played Dutch Blitz with Emily, Kristen and Kim and then Scum with a bunch of people. It was such a fun day with lots of tasty food and good company, I am already excited for next year!

All of our gifts!

Last night we went to Jonathan’s uncle’s house (Rex and Angie’s) to stay the night with them, Hope, Justin and Jordan. This morning we went to see his grandma’s new condo and had breakfast there at 8 with the rest of the Landis family and Dustin. She made a new breakfast casserole, which was absolutely delicious, and we got to see where she lives! After everyone was ready for church we went to the 10:45 service with her and are now headed back to northeastern Ohio. It is a 5ish hour drive, so we stopped at McDonald’s for lunch and have been trucking along the rest of the time, listening to the Browns game and getting ready for the next week. We have two of 7 Christmas celebrations already done, so only 5 left! We cannot wait to see everyone at home and are so looking forward to everything that will be going on!

We love you all! Have a Merry Christmas!

Love, Alli and Jonathan