Our First Christmas-- with a few pictures

Well we got a new car... again.  Mazda 6 this time (2009).  Anton got a really good deal because it's the end of the year and all the dealerships want to get rid of as much inventory as possible.  And he got them to reupholster the seats and make them leather.

I tried to surprise him for Christmas but he figured out what I got him.  He surprised me, though.  Now I have lots of perfume, lots of nail polish and a shiny new purse.  He couldn't wait for Mom's present so we've already been using the orange blanket and bread-maker... actually I haven't made bread yet-- but I'm going to.  I have to finish un-cluttering our apartment first.  We're getting rid of clothes and stuff we don't use.  I can't feel good about cooking until everything is clean.  So basically we starve until the apartment sparkles (we don't actually starve).

Anton also decided we are going to start our own Christmas traditions-- stockings and presents at midnight Christmas Eve, which is then Christmas Day.  But he fell asleep so we didn't do it.  I did get some pictures though.

 This is Anton playing with the kitty... which you can't see.

 Holding his Curve, which he already knew.  I told him I don't like that smell and I would never buy it for him.  But he didn't believe me.

 The tree he cut down.

Just Kidding

   We're actually not getting our own house.  Anton received some counsel from his millionaire former sponsor and decided against the mobile home.  The interest was pretty high anyway.  I guess I can deal with listening to my neighbors's conversations and everything else, including the smell of what they cook, for a couple more years... : (

Got some more books in the mail.  I love my children's books.  I read them to myself because I don't have anyone else to read them to.  Someday...

Anton is such a big softy.  He says he will never feed this ridiculously spoiled cat ever again.  And then he lets the cat inside because the cat is cold and gives him little smokies and lets him eat our butter.  So we're out of butter now.

We came to a conclusion about our jobs.  I am going to quit mine and we'll get a loan to cover what I won't be making.  But he'll probably keep his job since we can't afford the benefits we get (like half of his school paid for and pretty good insurance) without it.  So after I quit I can get my homework done earlier, which means... I will have time to cook.  Yes, I am going to cook.  Hooraaaaaay!

I'm getting my own house! Yay!

I wrapped Anton's gun and told him he couldn't have it until it was under a decorated tree and we were drinking hot cocoa and eating cookies... and stuff like that.  So he got a tree permit, drove an hour away to cut down a tree (and an hour back), got some christmas decorations with me, cleaned the apartment, and put everything up by himself while I was at work.  I had no choice but to let him open it.  He was so excited, he went out shooting with his buddy the next morning and showed it off to his brother over skype.

Also we decided to buy a mobile home here because it would be cheaper than paying rent and a nice rest from having dummies for managers and landlords (which seem to be pretty much inescapable here).

Two of the ladies in my ward turned 100 years old last week.  Pretty awesome.

Anyway, we're figuring out that working while we're both full-time students is very, very stressful (partly because both of our jobs suck and there is way too much childishness and unnecessary drama going on that interferes with our regular lives).  So we're trying to decide what to do... just deal with it and live miserably for a few years, quit and live off of student loans, go somewhere else to work on our off-track and hope we make enough money to live for awhile... find a rich person to sue and live pretty for the rest of our lives (just kidding).