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Christmas Break!

Christmas break this year was such a great one! I had so much fun being at home in Virginia with my family! I got to take two of my finals before finals week, so I got to go home the Wednesday of finals week! After a flight that seemed like an eternity because I was so excited to get home, I arrived at the airport where Dad picked me up! It's always a pretty great feeling being greeted at the door by three very excited younger sisters and my mom! Jenn quite literally leapt into my arms without warning! Don't worry, I caught her. My poor siblings still had another week and a half left of school when I got home, so I got to spend quality time with my mom! We shopped, talked, watched our shows, did some kickboxing videos that were pretty hard core, and had so much fun! It was so much fun to see so many people from home that I love and missed! I spent an afternoon helping Mrs. Van Slyke organize her music library and catching up with her, got to babysit the adorable Buhler kids a few times and catch up with their awesome mom, visited Linda when I dropped Jenn off at voice and she asked me if I had lost 140 pounds (a classic Linda quote if I've ever heard one), and caught up with some high school friends at the winter choir concert and got to sing with the other alumni! Mrs. Van Slyke came up to me afterwords and told me how adorable she thought it was that I went and stood next to Amy during the Madrigals alumni song "Carol of the Bells." She's too funny. My sisters finally got out of school the Friday before Christmas! The Shipps also arrived from Kansas the same day to spend Christmas with us! On Saturday we went to DC and saw the National Christmas Tree! Amy, Jonathan, and I convinced Jacob that we were sending him to the White House to live with the Obamas. He did not appreciate that too much. It was freezing cold and we may or may not have been pretty harsh critics of both the national tree itself and the state trees around it, but I love being in DC, especially at night! We then went back to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner and a White Elephant gift exchange that got pretty intense. Thanks to my alliance with Jenn, I won a highly sought after purple snuggie! The next day was the Christmas Program in the Herndon Ward! I sang with the ward choir and Amy, Jenn, and I sang "Angels We Have Heard on High." That night the whole crew went to the DC temple to see the lights! I thought that they were even more fantastic than usual this year! Christmas Eve is always a blast! After eating a delicious dinner, we had our annual Christmas Eve talent show and sang carols and such. When we got home, we put on our matching Christmas pajamas and threw some food for the reindeer, which of course we aren't too old for! On Christmas morning, instead of me and my sisters waking up my parents, they had to wake up all four of us! I guess we value sleep a little more than we used to! We all loved our Christmas gifts! Santa did a really good job! :) After eating a delicious breakfast and debating forever which new Christmas clothes to wear, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's to Skype with Elder Frederickson!! I was quite excited to be a crucial part of the process, providing both the computer and the Skype account that Matthew was going to call on! It was so much fun to talk to him! He looks amazing! We were joking that between the two of us  we've lost Jenn when it comes to weight! He seems to be doing so well and I'm so proud of him! Such a great Christmas present! We went home for a little while, and then when we got back to Grandma's went on a walk where Phil showed us the houses of all of the girls he dated in high school. He thought he was pretty cool! We had leftovers from Christmas Eve for dinner and just hung out! The next day we headed to the mall to spend our Christmas money! My sisters and I were loving all of the sales and made some good purchases! After lunch at the food court, we went to see Les Miserables! It was INCREDIBLE to say the least! I was sitting next to Amy and we looked at each other when it ended and we were both sobbing! It was incredible. We loved it! The next day we went ice skating and had lunch for Nick's birthday, then the Shipps headed back to Kansas that evening. Highlights of the rest of the break included: kickboxing with Mom, watching two full season of Downton Abbey, trips to Cafe Rio and Chipotle, How I Met Your Mother marathons with my awesome sisters, and going to my good friend Erin McKoy's wedding reception! It was such a great Christmas break!


Seeing Christmas lights with the Buhlers! 

                               All of the Shipp cousins! I tried to draw a picture of Matthew but you can't really see it!
                                                      I love my three beautiful sisters!


                                         National Tree with the White House in the background!
                                                                Shipp Family ladies!
                                                      Christmastime at the DC Temple!

                                                        Photo booth on Christmas Eve!

                                                             matching Christmas PJ's!
                                                                       I love my family!

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