Our vacation thus far

We just had Christmas with my parents and family. When you are away for so long you forget how great it is to be with family. We got there the Friday before Christmas, we had to finish Christmas shopping so that is what we did for the first couple days of the vacation. We had great family dinners, sat around talking, and laughing. On Christmas eve my brothers wife planned a really neat nativity reenactment. She wrote down the Christmas scriptures and others about the life of Christ, we each were given a piece of the nativity. We would read the scripture then put the nativity together one piece at a time. It was perfect for reminding us about what the holidays are all about. Christmas was just as great. It is amazing how Christmas can make even the most mature of adults regress back to childhood. We expected to of course sleep in because Ava was not there, but we were up at 8:00 anxiously waiting. We have a tradition of opening presents one at a time, that way we can keep things organized. It was so fun, I got a new laptop and Justin got golf clubs. Justin of course went right out with my dad to play golf and tennis. I spent the day putting software on my computer and learning how to use vista. I am a big fan by the way, it is so much better.

My friend Miriam went with me to The Gardens of the World. We took our cameras and just had a blast. There are flowers from all over the world, with beautiful fountains and statues. I have decided that if our place ever sells I want to decorate our new house with my own artwork. So it was an awesome opportunity to get some great nature shots.

This was one of the statues there at the gardens. I stood there for a minute just staring at it. I was thinking about how we just spent days talking about Christ's life and what his mission on this earth was. This sums it up better than anything I can say. Ultimate sacrifice and ultimate love.

Not a lot of the flowers were in bloom being that it is winter but by chance a few bloomed early this year.

We took Ava with us, partly because she is adorable and fun to be with, but also because we needed a subject to be in our pictures. She is a total ham and loves to pose for pictures so she is great.

This is one of my favorites. It was a precious moment between grandpa and granddaughter. No this isn't water, the patio table in the back yard has a whole in the middle where the umbrella goes. Ava was on the table she would stick her hand in the hole, my dad would then tickle her hand. She would laugh like I had never heard before. It was so cute to watch that moment transpire. Every time I go home I am just reminded why the family unit is the most important thing we have on this earth.

To sum it all up Justin and I had a great holiday vacation with my family. It is so fun now that everyone is older and we are kind of in the same stages of life. Ryan and his wife are starting their family and are blessed to have a beautiful daughter. Michael just got home from his mission which is a big stage for an LDS boys life, and is getting ready to go back to school at BYU. Danielle is finishing her second year of college and is getting ready to transfer to a university. My mom and dad are enjoying being grandparents, and getting ready to join the status of retired. We are blessed everyone is healthy and happy. 2007 has been good to the Hermansens.

Our vacation is not over yet we just arrived in Arizona to visit Justin's family. His family is amazing as well. We do miss Molly, Brock, and sharisa a tone though. There will be an update coming on the hutchins clan soon.