A Lucht Holiday Wrap-Up: The humbling, the holy, the happy stuff.

DEEP EXHALE!! 

The holidays are over. From November until New Year's, it seems as though everyone goes into a haze of scratching off things off of  their to-do lists. I had lists everywhere--on the fridge, on my phone, on my nightstand, in my purses--everywhere! In the flurry of them all, Dave and I were really blessed to experience some real life in the midst of the holiday hoopla.

Life is back to "normal"--whatever normal means. It was our first holiday season as a married couple and we had our share of busy, overwhelming, joyful, humbling, and surprising. We had opportunities to spend time with friends & family --making new new memories and new traditions as Mr. & Mrs.

My one regret is wishing that we had made more time to really soak in the advent in preparation for Christmas. We got so busy that--at times--there was more stress than reflection--more "ugh" than awe. When we found ourselves completely still and reflecting on the beautiful scandalous night that Christmas is, we regained focus and were completely humbled. Christmas is not what we've made it. In fact, Christmas is very much real life--a life of uncertainty, a life of glory, a life of humility, a life of heaven meeting earth, and a life that is to mimic that of the transformation of baby Jesus into Jesus--Christ our Lord.

In the midst of mall-mania and insane amounts of money being spent on gifts, Christmas happens alongside real life. It doesn't pause real life. It needs to be a part of life. It's not a time to slap on some  happy faces; it's still very much a time to be real, and that's what we experienced this Christmas. It's not a time when we pretend everything is OK; it's a time that a parent can tell us on Christmas Eve about a serious sickness and get prayer next to a kitchen that's in the middle of fixing a fine feast. It's a time when we talk about the hard stuff that we're going through. It's a time to be reminded of our desperate need for the Savior that was given to us as a means for real life. Christmas is one of the biggest reminders of the greater reality of life that's really life. This Christmas--we were reminded of the fragility of life--but the strength found in His life. 

We are so thankful, and we are desperate for you, Jesus. Thank you for giving us more than we could ever imagine. We bless you, Lord. 

 

Christmas has visited our home: trees, crafts, and an ugly thing.

 

Looking for our REAL tree :)!!

(We found it! It's just the right size for our humble home. This picture
is misleading. The tree is, in fact, taller than me.)

I got so excited that I went to put the ornaments up right as the tree got into its stand,
but then the hubs kindlyreminded me that the lights needed to go on first.
He was a dear and put them up while 

I made us some warm deliciousness.

 I repurposed some decorative wrapping from our wedding, 

and turned it into some DIY ornaments.

 Simple bows made from a lace table cloth that I thrifted (also leftovers from wedding decor)

 little plaid bows and sweet little ornaments we got at Target

 my favorite one :)

 and i love our lights! they're tiny little round ones

 

Our tree all dressed up!

And for some more cost effective decor...

...the paper garland!

So this picture really has nothing to do with our home,

but it made me want to go to an ugly sweater party...

 

I keep being reminded of how blessed Dave and I are, and it truly is overwhelming.

I'm beyond excited to spend my first Christmas married to my best friend, to celebrate with

family and friends, bake up a storm, and just enjoy this year as it comes to a close 

(I cannot believehow quickly it zoomed by).

Oh, come let us adore Him!

Churros, "Boogers," friends, and storm troopers.

The day after Thanksgiving, Dave's friend called him and asked what we were up to the Saturday after Black Friday. Dave looked over at me, and I shrugged as if to say "I don't know--nothing yet." All I heard Dave say after that was, "Yah, man...that might work." So I asked Dave what the plan was. Dave just said, "Ohhh, just to hang out with them (Ryan and Sherry)," and I could tell there was a sneaky tone in his voice.

Then...in the depths of my gut I had the strongest suspicion and I semi-yelled, "DISNEYLAND!!!!?!"

I was right! A last minute Disneyland trip?! I was so excited. I hadn't been in a few years, and I know Dave hadn't been since he was a kid! And on top of that--we were going with our good friends to celebrate his birthday and for ourselves as an early Christmas gift. Oh! And--none of us had ever been during Christmastime either, so the snow and all the decorations were going to make it that much better. Disneyland boils down to having to go with great company. And we did! We made a quick note of what we wanted to do that day, and a few of us said we had to get churros --check!, go on star tours twice--check!, get on the matterhorn--check!, and go some place delicious to have dinner for Ryan's birthday--check! (all you can eat BBQ!! Reasonably priced and scrumptious!). We went on more rides than we thought we would, didn't have to wait it too long of lines, and the weather was beautiful. So good!

None of the rides were closed--definitely a first!

 Dave and Ryan got so excited when this guy walked in:

 Dave and Ryan making joyful noises:

 I had no idea this "ride" existed:

 The waiting in line that day wasn't that bad considering that it was a pretty busy day. 

The longest line was Indiana Jones:

 My view of the parade. My view for most things where there are crowds:

 By far one of the best fireworks shows we've ever seen--it was amazing. 

These pictures do it no justice:

 Yeah, we know what these look like in the picture; in real life, they looked like shooting stars:

 Snow!

 Take one: Perfectly landed snow booger.

Take two: a very, very thankful duo

 

and the castle of course:

 

 So I guess it's true, it is the most magical place on earth...

Culture Mash: The Thanksgiving with the eggrolls and the casseroles.

We had Thanksgiving at our very own, humble first home this year. BIG DEAL, right?

Considering the fact that we were praying about finding a place to live leading up to the wedding where we could have people over and they could experience home, love and community, we were overwhelmed by the fact that it was really happening--that this in fact, is something God wants to bless us with. As we began to get more settled in, we thought it'd be fun to have our families over for Thanksgiving. We knew it'd be a minor feat to fit 8 people comfortably in our little dining area and put out TONS of food on our limited counter-top space (I mean, VERY limited--I sometimes pull the drawers out and then put cutting boards on those, so i have more room to work on), but we knew we'd make it work somehow.

The Lucht's first Thanksgiving:

To decrease the traditional stress levels of a belly-filling, thanks-giving holiday, we decided to have a Thanksgiving PotLucht Lunch! I made the turkey and some other small fixin's, and my mom, Dave's mom, my new sister-in-law, and my brother brought other dishes to share. THERE WAS SO MUCH FOOD! Every ounce of counter space was taken up and then some!:

The brine for the turkey:

 

The finished bird (I used Alton Brown's recipe):

 

The table setting (The bottles and the wood round are from our wedding--yay for "recycling"): 

The chalkboard I was inspired to make the morning of:

Cranberry nut bread--super easy to make and so delicious:

Bomb Pecorino and lemon roasted brussel sprouts a la my brother:

 My mama's delish eggrolls:

 Some of my mother-in-law's yummy side dishes:

 The feast:

 

The group shot. We are SO BLESSED. We have loved ones who love each other. 

(It is nerve wracking when you've never had blended family events before, 

so knowing that everyone gets along is AMAZING!)  Oh that covered wagon may seem random, and it kind of is--BUT Dave helped his granddaddy build that when he was younger :)

 

The day after:

 Dave's day after gravy mound:

 Hands down--best Thanksgiving EV-ER.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercies endure forever!"