It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas season! I love the warmth of spirit that's around and the feeling of "magic" in the air. I love seeing the Christmas lights on houses and manger scenes on the lawns. Although I hate the cold, I love how beautiful everything looks under a blanket of white. I used to love to play in that blanket; but as I've gotten older it's lost its charm, simply because I practically go into hypothermia. I prefer walking in it more than anything else. I love this time of year because it is in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, an event that has changed my life and others' forever and ever and ever. I am filled with reverence, awe, and love as I reflect on the humble birth of our Savior and His ministry. I would be nothing without Him.

And I also find that every Christmas time I reflect back on Christmas as a child. Almost all day yesterday, while sitting in front of this laptop working on a school project, Niklas and I had the classic Christmas specials on in the background. Those shiny, claymation ones with "Frosty the Snowman," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "The Year Without Santa Claus," "Jack Frost," etc. I will never be too old to watch those. I adore them! It doesn't feel like Christmas completely until I'm able to watch those old Christmas shows. I think Christmas time is the one season that keeps me connected to my childhood the most. For instance, some memories of past Christmas days:

1) Playing with my "Beauty and the Beast" toys from Burger King in the Christmas tree. (I had to pull up a chair to the tree to be able to reach higher as my make-beleive story went on.) The tree, with all of its bulbs, lights, ornaments, and garland, was supposed to be the Beast's castle. And Belle would walk on the garland spiraling up the tree, spotting all of the magnificent wonders of the castle, and occasionally coming upon a drinking fountain (bulb ornaments that had an indentation in them...I don't know how to describe them; I just know they were really pretty). There was also this old nutcracker ornament that had belonged to my sister Kristine. He was the bad guy in my story--he gave the Beast some poison at some point, maybe because he wanted Belle? The poison was a burnt-out red light from the Christmas tree. I had such dramatic stories... :P My mom wasn't so keen on me playing in the tree for fear I would break an ornament (and I don't blame her), but I'm really glad she let me anyway. Those are some of my most fond memories as a kid.

2) I broke an ornament one year on accident. I believe it was in the shape of an instrument like a violin, and I knew I would get into trouble with my mom. So I turned to my kid sister, Lynda, and said, "Lynda, I'm going to tell Mom that you broke it." And before she had time to respond, I immediately called for Mom and told her my lie. I don't think I got away with it. Lynda was old enough to protest against me. And I don't know why I always remember that, but I always feel bad about how I treated Lynda as a child, and I'm still trying to make up for it. (Merry Christmas, Lynda! ~sheepish grin~)

3) I used to love sleeping next to the Christmas tree. I wanted to be near it all the time because I found it so magical and beautiful. I loved the warm glow of the lights when everywhere else was dark. Not sure if I actually got away with sleeping next to it all night, though!

4) I remember believing in Santa Claus and having my best friend, Alicia, tell me that he didn't exist. I was alarmed but my older sister Diane stood up (literally) and declared that she knew that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny (and maybe even the Tooth Fairy) existed. I then backed Diane up. I think I find it funny now because of how dramatic the atmosphere of it all was to me as a child, and the fact that Alicia was so right and we were dead wrong! I guess neither Diane or I wanted to give up our childhood beliefs yet; and I'm sure our parents hadn't let on yet as well. (I have no idea how old we were at the time.)

5) Every year I would follow my oldest sister Kristine's example and poke, prod, shake, and feel-over all of my Christmas presents to try to figure out what it was inside. This also drove my mom nuts. One specific year I had asked for a play tea set that was "magical:" when you put warm water on the knives and biscuits, jam would appear, and the tea cups would change to a different shade. I knew there was no such thing as Santa Claus at this point; and I'm not sure if I was snooping or not, but I stumbled across a large black garbage bag one day (before Christmas) in the basement. I peeked inside...and saw a box with pictures of my dream tea set on it! I was so thrilled!! Then guilt rose up in me for seeing it. I told my mom later and she was not happy with me. I'm surprised now that I even told her but I'm glad I did anyway. What's funny now is that I don't dare touch any of my presents. I don't want to know what's in them since I want it to be a surprise. Even my presents under our squatty tree are, at this instance, untouched by my hands, and will remain that way until Christmas day. I finally learned that the anticipation of not knowing is one of the best things about Christmas presents. :)

6) Every Christmas Eve (also my birthday), my mom would hold a Christmas feast and invite over some of our relatives. After being all together and stuffing ourselves with the feast and pie, us kids would mosey on over to the living room and start playing video games together while the grown-ups continued to linger at the dinner table chatting. I still have this longing every Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas day to play video games with family. The last few years I would rent a Harry Potter game for my birthday and play while my sisters would watch me. Even though one would be playing at a time, we'd all be engaged and laughing at some of the cheesy/funny sayings in the game, etc. I miss those times now since it was practically like our little tradition, so I have Niklas play with me instead when we aren't with my family during the holidays.

I love Christmas memories! I also decided recently to sew stockings for Niklas and I, and for each of our children as they come. Here is my stocking that I finished a couple weeks back. Niklas will be painting my name across the cuff and we'll be adding some buttons.

Niklas' stocking will be the same only with a green contrasting toe and heel, and a green cuff. I'm hoping to get his done before Christmas, but I think I'll succeed.

Also, here are some pictures left on our camera taken a lot earlier this year that I didn't realize were on there until now.They are mostly pictures of us being silly, so...enjoy or be appalled, I guess. :P I can't explain the weird model ones...but I know it makes me laugh because it is SOOO ridiculous looking!! I hate how dramatic models look or actors act in movies---it's so fake and corny in real life. Seriously.

I had gotten some boots and thought I could look like an old-fashioned pilot...

Nothing says Masculine like a Chocoholick apron. That's right.

Look~ it's a real smile and pose!! ;)

Wolverine look-alike?

"Why are you still taking pictures of me?...I'm done play-acting and brushing my teeth. Nothing to see here..."

One last thing. Niklas did have a second heart surgery on December 1st and he is doing great at this point. We are hoping that this takes care of his problem completely but only time will tell. I'm really glad he went through the surgery a second time. I love you, Niklas! Everything else is going alright in our lives. We're both pretty busy with work and school. And it hasn't been a horrible year, but I'll be glad to leave this one behind us since it was filled with a lot of stress.

Merry Christmas to you all and a happy new year, even though they are still a few weeks away. May God bless you all!

A Small Tribute to Halloween Past...

I used to look forward to Halloween each year because I could dress up and get lots of free candy! I mean what kid doesn't enjoy that? But it seems the older I get, the less charm Halloween has for me. I'm hoping that when I have kids someday, I'll be able to enjoy it more through their enthusiastic and mystical outlook. But for now, here are some pictures as a tribute to the far distant days of Halloween eagerness and magic.

My second brother, Robert, sporting his custom-made Ghostbusters outfit for one Halloween (1989?). Talk about awesome!

My sister Diane and I before heading out to go trick-or-treating. This may have been taken the same time as Robert's ghostbusting picture. I was Raggedy-Ann and Diane was the fairy godmother. As you'll see, we Miller kids rotated through the Halloween costumes on hand. :) But look at the chubby excitement on my face! I knew I'd be getting lots of chocolate. However, if I recall right, I think this was the year that my dad drove us around in our large Chevy van to trick-or-treat from house to house. The side door of the van was left open for easier maneuvering as we jumped out to trick-or-treat and jumped back in to move on to the next house. At one point I jumped with impatient glee out of the side door while the van was still moving, and fell down on the road. Next thing I knew the back right van tire was running over my foot/ankle, and then resting there until my mom and dad realized what had happened. or what I had done. Not one of my finer moments, but I didn't have any broken bones, thankfully.

Yay, this picture of me is what Niklas remembers me looking like as a little girl when he lived in Washington. This year I was the fairy godmother, Lynda (youngest sister) was the cute lil' devil, and Diane took the witch role. Again, see the excitement to trick-or-treat! (Or maybe this was afterwards?)

This is an instance of "Pumpkin Love" by yours truly and my sister Diane.

I was wondering when I saw this picture: do I look any different, as in older?? These were taken by my mom before Halloween of 2002 (in case you missed the glaring picture label), the year I graduated from high school. I was baking up a storm for the Trunk-or-Treat at our church, and I remember being grumpy when my mom took these pictures... I can't believe how many goodies I made!! I was so painstakingly perfectionistic about it too. My flare for baking has ebbed a bit, but I still find enjoyment and sometimes satisfaction in creating baked goods and CHOCOLATE desserts!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! <----Also the colors for my high school...what and WHY??

My Third Nephew has Arrived!!

(Kristine and Alex Booth at the hospital this morning, I believe...)

Kristine had her baby boy this morning at 4:51 a.m. Robert Alexander Booth is 8 lbs. 5 oz., 20 inches long, and doing very well. Just look at his cute old man face! :D

I just talked to Kristine a few minutes ago and she sounded very tired but very happy. I can only imagine how surreal it is holding a baby in your arms and knowing that you're its mother. I am so excited/happy for her and Alex, and I can't wait to see the little guy mid-October when we go down to Utah for Niklas' follow-up appointment. (Excited/happy is really an understatement for me. I keep having to hold back tears because I'm so happy and touched. I blame the stupid birth control pills....partially.) More pics sure to come in the future of little Robert. :)

Jinxed

So after Niklas had had his surgery almost two weeks ago, the doctors told us that there was always a chance that there could be another electrical pathway that could become "active" once the other extra one was destroyed...and it looks like Niklas fits into that lucky category.

Last night after he had barely gone to bed, Niklas' heart went into another episode. It was a horrible disappointment for both of us, but there is always hope. He's going to call the doctor today and see when they can get him in again for a second surgery. I'm just wondering how many of these buggy pathways he has in his heart... : /

Anyway, I figured I must have jinxed the situation with my post yesterday talking about the success of the surgery. Guess I should keep my mouth shut!

I Plead Being Busy...Yeah.

I'm sitting in the Taylor building on BYU-I's campus waiting for Niklas to get out of his bishopric meeting, so I figured instead of enlightening my mind through scripture study, I should finally give a little update of how we've been. ;) I'm not very good at blogging---I know, THAT thought never crossed your mind, did it?

A lot has been going on in our lives recently, but it's finally coming to a more relaxed pace. Sorta.

I ran a half-marathon (Top of Utah) in Logan, Utah on August 29th, and it was a blast! A half is 13.1 miles, and the actual race was much more fun than the 3-month training. I ran it with my former running companion from WA, and it was fun to chat while we began the race. (The chatting stopped about half-way through---it started getting hard for me.) The funny thing is she was nervous the night before that she hadn't trained enough, etc. But during the actual race, she was the one encouraging me to speed it up a bit by her pacing! :) We ended up running it faster than what we had trained at, and I was thrilled about that. It was a great accomplishment for me and I want to run it again next year. But probably never a full marathon---my knees can only take so much.

A few days later after my race, Niklas had a surgery done on his heart to fix his Wolfe-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which is basically having an extra electrical pathway in the heart that throws off the normal electrical cycle at times, causing rapid palpitations---at any time. There was always a chance that Niklas' heart would act up while he worked out or even when just sitting or laying down. It was problematic, and I think held him back from being more active, etc. Plus, there was a very rare chance that he could die suddenly from the arrhythmia; and I'd rather NOT be a widow any time soon, or later for that matter! So we scheduled a catheter ablation (burning basically) at the U of U hospital and the surgery was a success. They were able to find the area of the extra pathway causing the problem and obliterate it through burning. You can imagine our relief, especially Niklas'. :) I feel very blessed that he was able to get this surgery done and that he won't have to worry about his heart causing issues anymore.

Niklas is doing very well and is mostly recovered. He still has some nasty bruising on a leg where they put a couple catheters in, but other than that he feels great. During the surgery and after we stayed with my sister Kristine in Provo, and it was great to see and Alex right before their little boy comes. I am so excited!!! She is due September 20th and she is so ready to be done with the pregnancy. More often than not Kristine has told me, "Just wait until it's YOU...!" And then I find myself hoping that I won't be hit with the sickness curse that she suffered...but time will tell. (No, I am not pregnant, and won't be for a while yet.)

I've also started an online Master of Science in Accounting through Liberty University, and began classes August 24th. Each course is 8 weeks long, and I'm hoping to be graduated by May 2011. I just had this sudden desire to continue my education recently, so I went for it. So now I head to work, come home and work on my class. It's actually a baptist university...so that's been interesting. I'm a total black sheep, but I'm okay with that since it was more affordable. But it's opening up my eyes to how others my interpret the Bible. Maybe I'll share some of the case studies on here sometime...

Also, Niklas started fall classes this last week, plus got offered a job at Kohls in Idaho Falls and will be starting that this week. I am so happy about the extra income! So all in all we will both be in the same boat with working and attending school. Which equals busy, busy, busy.

That's all I have for now, but here are some old pics of Niklas and I back from October 2008. I was taking pics of us in our kitchen.

I think I was trying to get the timed shots set up in this pic.

This one cracks me up. I guess it's because you can't see my full face and Niklas looks less than thrilled with the up close shot.

This last pic of Niklas is him sporting the intensive Morning Hair. I mean, it takes a full 8-9 hours for this look.

When that work whistle just isn't blowing...

So you probably think that I am a total slacker, writing on my blog while I am at work, and I would agree with you, if it wasn't due to not having a single thing to do right now. I've done all the work I can and now I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs and not feeling so good about it. I would take a crazy, super busy day any day than these super-slow nothing-to-do days that go by in super slow motion. I IMed my boss to ask if he would send any other work my way, and I haven't heard anything out of him. I'll pester him again soon.

Here's an update on what's been going on: me--working, sleeping, eating tons of chocolate, craving dairy all the time, reading "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen, teaching Temple Prep at church, playing a little Wii, and still being tired all the time. Niklas--going to school, doing homework, sleeping, eating, playing a little bit of Wii, and reading Star Wars books, among other types of books, and still being tired all the time.



We did get the pleasure of seeing Diane and Nolan this weekend, our respective siblings. We all ate out at Original Thai this last Friday night and it was sooo good. I love love LOVE Thai curry, and I LOVE it hot. My only complaint with Thai restaurants is that the waitstaff never believes me when I say that I want it really hot. One Thai place in Idaho Falls I ordered the level 5 "Thermo-Nuclear" spicy hotness when eating lunch with my boss and a co-worker, and they were surprised. Then I got to be the one surprised and disappointed when my dish contained not even a hint of flame. However, this last Friday it was different. I told the waitress as usual that I wanted it really hot---"I like it when my nose is running." And when the yummy red curry came out, it was actually spicy! My nose did run a bit, and I enjoyed every single hot bite. Not sure how this spicy-loving trait came into being in me, but I'm not the only one in the family that has it. :) Niklas likes hot, spicy dishes also, but not quite as much as me.

Last Saturday Nolan, Niklas and I headed out to shop at the small mall in Idaho Falls and found a few pieces of clothing. Of course, I'm still not satisfied in the clothes department so a little more shopping each month will be had.

For future news, there is a lot going on. In April Niklas' mom and dad and sister Jacqueline will be coming up to Rexburg for the latter to attend school this summer, and that should be fun to see them. Jacqueline just got off her mission at the beginning of this month from Ohio, and we haven't seen the Skinner parents since we were both married last May. The one-year anniversary is coming up--oh my!

In May, during our one-year anniversary weekend, Niklas and I will be flying into Washington thanks to our Miller parents. :) I'm really excited for the trip and plan on hitting Seattle on the Saturday we are there. I also am looking forward to seeing family that I haven't seen since...Christmas of 2007 I think! That's an amazingly long time.

In June Niklas' sister Jennifer and her family will be stopping by our humble abode in Rexburg to see us while on a trip. I also haven't seen them for quite a long time also. Also in June Kristine, Alex, Niklas, and I will be driving over to Portland, Oregon for a good family friend's wedding. Although this trip will also only last the weekend, and will consist of almost 24 hours total stuck in a car, it will be so nice to take a trip and see more friends and family again.

And my sister Lynda is graduating from college at the beginning of May! It's so crazy that 4 years have gone by already, but I'm sure that Lynda is super ready for it. :)

As a side note, Niklas and our friend Bill have been taking a British Literature, etc. class together this semester, and last night as Bill's wife Linda and I played "Cooking Mama" on the Wii, they were putting together a "Flampoyntes Pie," (basically Flame Points) which is a medieval recipe consisting of shredded pork and provolone cheese in a pie---and then some of the pie crust dough is cut into triangles, fried, and then put inside the pie, the points sticking out of the top crust. I believe when it was baked back in the day the points in the crust would catch on fire, hence the name. Bill and Niklas made this for the Medieval potluck they were having today in class, and Linda and I agreed that it was one of the nastiest recipes we've ever heard of. Niklas explained that someone was going to make something for the potluck that consisted of grains, etc. cooked inside a sheep's (?) stomach, and that he was going to eat some, as he has had some before; and then he and Bill went on trying to convince Linda and I that it was "just like a sausage casing." I think I wanted to hurl just thinking about it; and I've decided that this man I married ("I am a medieval man...!") really belongs in the Dark Ages while I should have been born during the 1800's in England. Who knows how two such beings could have connected.

Niklas right this minute just sent me an IM:

skinnerman02: Our Pie was Awesome! Quite the hit as well

Karen Skinner: Great! did you eat the sheep stomach or whatever it was?

skinnerman02: lol, Haggis

skinnerman02: and you dont actually eat the stomach

skinnerman02: you just cook everything else in it

skinnerman02: but yes, I did

skinnerman02: I thought it was alright, but I forgot to eat it with the turnips, which is how it's supposed to be done

skinnerman02: but it was WAY different than the sausage type thing

skinnerman02: this was much nastier looking

skinnerman02: none of the people who made it liked it

skinnerman02: I brought home the left overs of the flampoyntes though (our pie), so you could try a tiny bit

skinnerman02: It'd make me happy if you tried some

Karen Skinner: I guess I can try a little bit. Don't expect me to kiss you today...

skinnerman02: I've rinsed my mouth out

skinnerman02: saw that coming

I thought you'd appreciate a visual of this wondrous dish. So there you have it. Haggis is not like sausage, and if you expect a kiss from your spouse, don't eat it.

Valentine's Weekend

It's been a month since I last posted and since I'm not really doing anything productive, I figure now is the best time to finally break the ice. Basically the only exciting news has been that we finally got a Wii which I have loved so far. Diane, my older sister, wanted to visit our oldest sister in Utah this weekend so we are currently at Kristine & Alex's house, planning to leave in an hour or so. It was nice to come down again after not seeing them for a few months.

We got our tax return money just this past Friday, and I now have possesssion of a dream that I've wanted for the last few years but couldn't bring myself to purchase when I knew that I really didn't need it... A KichenAid mixer!! I know that a ton of people have one at this point, but that doesn't change the novelty for me. :) I love to bake (which is actually a really bad thing when you worry about eating healthy to a point) and this will hopefully make it a ton easier to mix all that batter up. Speaking of batter, am I the only one married to a man who refuses to eat any kind of batter because of the raw eggs? I guess I'm living dangerously but I seriously think that the batter tastes a ton better than the actual end product. I used to make a small batch of cookie dough and eat it just like that. :P Totally bad I know, but I still do it on a rare occassion. You just can't beat raw dough sometimes!

Another purchase we made this weekend was the Wii Fit, which I already love! I really am intrigued with Yoga right now and they have all kinds of strength exercises and stretches that you can do right in your own home. I can run on a treadmill and lift weights (to a point) in a room full of other people, but I would never join an exercise class at the gym; not a fan of doing any kind of workouts that require coordination in front of a bunch of people, and for good reason---just found out from doing the Wii Fit balance exercises that I have awful balance. So my periodic clutziness makes sense now. :P

All in all, Niklas and are doing fine and no, we didn't do anything for Valentine's Day since we were coming down to Utah and planning on spending a lot of money. But also, Niklas is one of the V-day haters out there, since he says that you should be doing things to show your loved one how you feel year round, and that it's like you're obligated to do something; and if you don't...well, every woman's punishment is different. However, how do you feel about this? I don't view Valentine's Day as a replacement for the rest of the year, but as a special day set aside for all the good feelings you have for your spouse, etc I mean, we deal with the negative feelings we have for eachother all year round, so what's so bad about a day that allows you to think about all the good things you love about your spouse, etc.?? It's like any other holiday, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. We should always be grateful for what we have in life and for our Savior and His role in this world. But there is a special day set aside to celebrate each, to put special emphasis on the importance of the principle or person. This is why I like holidays, including Valentine's Day; it's really all a matter of your perspective on it. And it's not like you have to spend money to do something special for your loved one.

Anyway, I'm done going on about that. I hope everyone is doing fantastic in life and had a great weekend. By the way, Kristine is pregnant and we are all so excited! She's been sick a lot this weekend, unfortunately, but I hope it gets better for her as the next few weeks go by.

Bye for now!

We're Alive!

I promise that I will post sometime soon. For now, just know that we are alive and well and, oh yeah, I just got called to be the Temple Prep teacher in the singles ward we're attending now. For now, I'm patiently waiting for W-2's to flow into our mailbox so we can get some tax refund money, and Niklas is back in school again. Yay!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! I know it's late, but it always counts, right? ;)