Sedona. 
A little piece of Heaven. (warning: long post ahead)

We decided go on a road trip to Arizona to see the Merrill side of the family the week after Christmas. It was pretty fun to go on a long trip as adults. Ryan's mom rented a minivan, and off we went. I took a few pictures of the beautiful mountain scenery while we drove down...

 
Our pit stop on the way to Mesa was Sedona. The Merrills love Sedona, and have family reunions there each fall. However, this was my first time in Sedona and I fell in love. It probably helps that we got there just as the sun was setting on the Redrock Mountains.

That night we went to Tlaquepaque to see the Christmas lights. I love all of the decorations in the courtyards, and especially the Christmas light contest in the neighborhood nearby. I wish all neighborhoods got this into Christmas!!

Love the poinsettias  on the chandelier!

This one was funny...

Who doesn't love Alvin? Christmas, Christmas hurry fast...

Awesome Shag Wagon.

My favorite.

Cute Gazebo lit up in Green and Red lights.

Me and Woody.

The whole Fam.

Sweet Carousel.

In Sedona the Redrock canyons are so beautiful and I loved all the artsy shops and boutiques. There were tons of hiking trails you could go on, but the only hiking we did was Ryan and I at 7am when we went on a morning stroll.

Sunrise.

Which trail?

Can you see my shadow? :)

I love all the cactus!

Morning glory :)

There is a church that's carved into a redrock mountain, so we drove up to check it out. There were tons of people up there, but I soon realized they were there for the view and not the church-- it definitely left something to be desired.

Prickly Pear...or something like that.

Family Shot.

Olivia and Jarron.

Our stay in Sedona was short and sweet and I can't wait to go back!

A Very Merrill Christmas.

We do the every other holiday switch for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and this year was our Merrill Christmas. It was my first Christmas away from home in 25 years... although I missed my family I had a blast in Utah with Ryan's fam, and getting to see some of my favorite people. We landed in SLC on Christmas Eve morning. We did some last minute Christmas shopping, had lunch at Cafe Rio, and got to see Jarron and Olivia's beautiful new home. Christmas Eve night we had a yummy dinner and the traditional program, done by Jeralyn. We went to bed early, and Ryan and I were in charge of Breakfast Christmas morning. We made Magelby's French toast with eggs and sausage-- so yummy. Then it was present time. We were spoiled rotten, and enjoyed watching everyone open our gifts (especially our funny gifts!!) After presents we got to talk with my brother Matthew, who is serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. We only get to talk to him on the phone twice a year so this was a treat. My favorite part was when he shared his testimony of the Gospel. 

Ryan refusing to "get ready" before opening gifts.

Ty getting tricked by his present... his dad's old clubs.

Ty's real Christmas present. Sweet Taylormade Clubs!!

Next on the agenda was Grandma Pixtons for Christmas Dinner. All of Ryan's mom's side of the family was there and it was fun to see them and catch up with everyone. Dinner was amazing and I finally got to taste Grandma Pixtons rolls. Ryan was right. They are LEGENDARY. I was a little disappointed at how far off my rolls are... I have a lot to learn. Good thing I have a lifetime to do it, right? There was lots of hanging out and somehow I didn't take too many photos so here are a few that I do have.

Grandma Pixton getting dinner ready.

Grandma's traditional slushy drink before the meal.

Us with Grandma and Grandpa Pixton.

Ryan and I.

On Our 12th Date of Christmas...

Isn't this building just gorgeous?? I love it.

The Salt Lake City Temple.

The Salt Lake Temple lights are hard to beat. The temple grounds themselves are gorgeous, and combined with millions of lights and a many nativity scenes, you have a recipe for success. On Christmas night, we decided to head up to Salt Lake and see the lights and the beautiful building.

I love the peaceful feeling I have when I visit the temple, and I am always amazed at how that feeling can even come to me while walking on the temple grounds. It was a great reminder to why we celebrate Christmas, and what our purpose on this life is. I loved walking hand in hand with Ryan around the temple and admiring the beautiful building and reminiscing on the work that it took for those people who built it back in the 1800's. It was also special to be on those grounds and think back to 3 years ago when we had some of our first dates there in that exact place. It was the perfect way to complete our Christmas dates.

Did you know it took 40 years to complete this temple?

I love this gorgeous Nativity. There is more to it-- Camels, and sheep, etc. but they are on the other sides of the reflecting pool and I didn't get them in the pictures...

Ryan and I in front of the temple.

Lots of Lights!

We love the Temple Square at Christmas!

On our 11th Date of Christmas... 

A Merrill Christmas Dinner. 

Ryan and I started our own Christmas tradition a few years ago-- to have our own Christmas dinner and exchange gifts. It started when we were first dating, and we have kept it up. Thursday night we had a big fancy Christmas dinner. Turkey, stuffing, cheesy scalloped potatoes, roasted carrots, and homemade rolls. We invited Shaniqua (one of my Young Women) and her friend, Jarvis over. They were a blast! Dinner was great, and then we listened to some hip hop music (their choice of course) and Shaniqua taught me how to do the Dougie. Then Ryan talked them into watching Mr. Kruegars Christmas with us-- my personal Christmas favorite. We took them home and then opened presents. Since my mom and dad had sent us our gifts from them and Grandma Haines. They spoiled us rotten and it was fun to skype so they could see us open gifts. Ryan and I spoiled each other too :)

Dinner Rolls.

Christmas Kiss. (Please ignore the disaster that is our house at this point... didn't have time to clean before Christmas!!)

 
The next part of the night was a little crazy-- we had to pack for our trip home to Utah AND Arizona. Let's just say it took us a while and we only got 3 hours of sleep (6am flights are brutal!!) We got to our gate in 35 minutes flat. That's including our taxi ride and security! It was amazing! (and a LOT different than last year's Christmas Eve Miracle Flight). We landed in Utah by 10am and started our Christmas Eve festivities. We headed straight to Grandma Pixton's house, and then spent the day with Ryan's family preparing for Christmas. We had a great time and were excited to be in Utah!!

Out view of Salt Lake as we flew in. Isn't it gorgeous?? The entire city was covered in clouds.

On our 10th Date of Christmas...

The Nutcracker.

I have to say, my heart is still swooning over the Joffrey Ballet's Nutcracker. It was AMAZING. Seriously, it was so good. My favorite Nutcracker I have ever seen. I was totally blown away with the set (it snowed on stage for at least 10 minutes), the costumes, and of course, the dancers and the music. It was just incredible. I know all of you try to avoid visiting Chicago in the winter, but its worth a trip just to see this ballet.

Of course, there were no photos allowed inside, but here are a few I snagged from online.

This building was completed in 1889. It is a National Historic Landmark, and was the home of the Chicago Symphony and the Chicago Civic Opera. US President, Grover Cleveland laid the cornerstone for the building, and President Benjamin Harris dedicated the building. Frank Lloyd Wright designed some of the interior features. Isn't it gorgeous??

 

  

And here are a few photos of us.

Check out my handsome hubby :)

Yes, there are multiple fireplaces and leather couch seating areas in the theater. So cozy.

We'll be back next year, Nutcracker!!

On our 9th Date of Christmas...

The Mag Mile at Christmas.

When I was 15 I came to Chicago for the first time with my family. It was one of our big family vacations growing up. We spent a week in Chicago, and then another week or so touring Nauvoo and the historic sites. While in Chicago my mom took us all around-- to all the museums, Navy Pier, the Mag Mile, State Street shopping, etc. We went to Harry Careys, ate Chicago-style hot dogs, and just had a blast. We loved it. Ever since then I had always wanted to come back to Chicago at Christmastime. I remember hearing about how the storefronts on Michigan Ave (The Mag Mile) would decorate their windows for Christmas, and I thought that was just magical.

So, of course when we moved to Chicago, this was high on my list of Christmas things to do. Walk the Mag Mile and admire the beautiful window displays. Well, we finally had a free night so we headed up to Michigan Ave. I have to admit, one of the things that recession has killed is the store front window displays. I didn't really see ONE window that was anything like I was expecting. HOWEVER, I LOVED window shopping with my main man, and soaking up all of the Christmas excitement. Some of the buildings had cool displays inside, and one even had this huge Christmas Tree!! We walked hand in hand up and down Michigan Avenue and it was such a great way to feel the Christmas cheer of the city.

 I love seeing the churches in the city & their Nativity Displays.

The reason for Christmas.

Tiffany & Co. Love Love Love.

The Water Tower.

Me and my love.

Cool Elves.

Add caption

Pretty lights.

Love the big tree.

Giant Wreath outside of Nordstrom.