Merry Christmas!

We hope that everyone has a great Christmas and enjoys some extra time with family and friends. And don't forget what Christmas is all about...


(If you get this through e-mail, you will have to go to our blog's website to see this video - www.andrewlauren.blogspot.com)


The Story of Christmas

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20

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Andrew's Birthday and the Snow of the Decade!

Last Wednesday (December 16th) Andrew turned a quarter of a century old. We celebrated by going out to Ragazzi's for dinner. Andrew's present to himself was a Shop-Vac...exciting, I know! I attempted to bake a cake for him, but for some reason it turned into the consistency of angel food cake and so when I tried to ice it, the cake just fell apart and it was pretty much a disaster. Andrew was nice about it though and I still managed to pull one decent-looking piece out and stick some candles on it!





Yesterday and last night we were hit with the biggest snow storm in more than a decade. We measured 15" outside of our house. It is SO beautiful out! Andrew and I took a nice long walk around our neighborhood this morning. Unfortunately the snow is pretty powdery so my efforts at making a snowman failed miserably. I did save some snow in order to make some "snow cream" tonight though (you mix 8 cups of snow with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - yummy). Here are some pictures of the winter wonderland at our house.

This is what we woke up to this morning.

Yep, that's 15 inches!

Time to clean off the steps and the Jeep

I was making a snow angel...in the middle of the street

Starkey Road this morning...the "main" road leading to our neighborhood

Andrew standing in the middle of Starkey Road

James wanted to go outside...we let him feel the snow and I think he was content to stay inside then.

So, needless to say, we're not going anywhere today or tomorrow. Andrew isn't sure if they'll have to go back to school at all next week for the 2 days before Christmas break starts. I will probably have to go to work, but I'm looking forward to taking some time off the week following Christmas. I hope everybody enjoys the snow!

P.S. Christmas is less than a week away!!

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The Biltmore

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving last weekend! I always love Thanksgiving and Christmas because it means spending time with family, good food, and relaxing.

Instead of going to the crazy malls on Black Friday, Andrew and I went with Andrew's parents and sister to the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Although I knew this was a BIG house, it is just one of those things that you have to experience in person in order to fully grasp. The house covers 4 acres, totaling 175,000 square feet. It consists of 250 rooms that include 35 guest and family rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and three kitchens. Andrew and I tried to put in an offer, but for some reason they said it wasn't for sale right now. Maybe later.

Anyways, we had a great time and I really enjoyed seeing the house. We actually decided to upgrade our tickets to 12-month passes, so we will definitely be going back a few times this next year. They don't allow pictures to be taken inside the house, but here are a few of the outside.

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