merry christmas!!!!!

wow. . . christmas this year is very very different! last year we were in sunny florida, we cooked a large christmas dinner, and we were surrounded by family. As much as we love this years christmas it just isn't the same. last year we had a mini (1.5 feet) fake christmas tree and this year we had this: (which stands at a whopping 4 inches and is awesome by the way!)

we had a nativity scene, and this year we had to go mini:

last year we attended church with thousands of people, and this year we attended church on-line, just the two of us with about 50 other "virtual" people.

and that's where the rubber hits the road. as much as we have family and friends who are amazing, it is just the two of us. we don't have family a couple hours away (or two feet away like this past year and a half!) we don't have food that we are accustomed to, all we have is each other. in a sense that is really sad, and depressing (to be honest) but at the same time its a refreshing and reassuring sense of what has bought tova and i together, that all we need is each other, and that God really bought us together and bought us here for a reason.

then we think of all the people that we love, and who love us, who are supporting us through this crazy journey and it helps us to get through times when we are sad to be so far away.

so this christmas, as much as everything is different there are a few things that remain the same

1: our love for each other (which is stronger than ever)

2: the love of our family (which they have shown us has depths that we never thought possible)

3: the love of our friends (we have AMAZING friends)

4: and ultimately no truer words were spoken then the words spoken by the great philosopher linus:

"and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and lo the angel of the lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid and the angel said unto them 'fear not for behold i bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people for unto you is born this day in the city of david a Savior which is Christ the Lord and this shall be a sign unto you ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger' and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying 'glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men'"

so to everyone that we love and care so much about (which is everyone who is reading this and then some) merry christmas!!!!
(ps tommorow will be a funnier post of how i got to work on tues and wed after the storm!)