Adam's Christmas 2009

Jenn didn't tell the full version of how Christmas morning played out. We were both up around 4:00 and eventually decided to do Christmas early. So we went out, looked at our piles of presents and were getting ready to start Christmas when we realized the camera battery was dead. We couldn't do Christmas morning without pictures, so we were forced to go back to bed. :(

The REAL Christmas morning was awesome! My stocking was full of Slim Jims and Snickers, which are old traditions for me; and some tools, which have been a new tradition for us. Plus a bunch of other candies and trading cards. Miscellaneous gifts included a puzzle, a Hickory Farms meat and cheese set, an Axe deodorant and bodywash set, a Carl's Jr. gift card, a Luigi figurine, an air horn (Jenn is quite the masochist), and two additions to my Christmas stuffed animal collection being a stuffed bear and stuffed Mickey Mouse.

The main gift I got wasn't a surprise to me in the same way the Pokemon game wasn't a surprise for Jenn. She got me New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I told her how I looked forward to playing a new, classic-style Mario game on Christmas, the way I used to as a child. Weeks before Christmas, I harassed her until she confirmed she did get it for me.

I also got Sam & Max: Season One, another Wii game. Clothing-wise, I got a Jack Skellington baseball cap, and a t-shirt with the Atari logo and the word "Atari" written in Japanese under it. Very, very cool!

She also got me a new pocket knife. People commented on the large size of my knife last year, this year, it was even bigger. My mom actually helped Jenn pick it out. It's all black, and the blade has a gray and black camo print on it. It's friggin' sharp too. I really like it. So I have received a knife every Christmas Jenn and I have been married. She must trust me a lot.

But the most surprising, and one of the coolest gifts I got was a letter from Santa, written by Dr. Pepper. This was a promotional item Dr. Pepper did for only one year, in 1961. I like Dr. Pepper, I collect vintage Dr. Pepper stuff, and I love Christmas. So this was a perfect addition to my collection.




After our Christmas morning, we went to my parents' house again for Christmas breakfast. Once again, we invited Ken to join us, which he did. As always, the house was filled with a thin layer of smoke from all of the food being cooked.

Then came family present time. I had left the room, but when I returned, Jenn informed me that Jon had a gift for me. Wow, Jon got me a gift? And no one else? Jon? Really? He even wrote the tag himself! My parents bought something for all of their grandchildren, so they got to open theirs first. All the while, I'm wondering what the heck Jon could have given me! After the grandkids were done, everyone agreed that I should open my gift from Jon. So I did, and it was... a box of used wrapping paper!

Argh! How quickly you forget the tricks played from the year before! Last year, Mike took all of the used wrapping paper and stuffed it in a box, then marked it "To: Guy, From: Kalli". This year, he did the same. But he used the wrapping paper from Christmas Eve so he would have time to properly wrap it, and let Jon write the tag. I was fooled. And we all had a good laugh.

Then it was time for my parents to open their gifts from their kids. Jenn and I... well, more accurately, Jenn gave them a portrait (commissioned by my mom). For those who haven't seen it yet, here it is:


She used this picture and updated it a little. Jenn is incredible with her art. It's simply amazing. We also gave an 8x10 of this to each of my siblings.

From my siblings, we received: the game Killer Bunnies (yes, Kenworthys, now we have our own); the game Sequence; a Cinemark gift card; and a homemade decorative shelf. All great stuff!

And from my parents... well... I really didn't think they could top the extravagance of the last two years, but they did. Along with some Disney mugs and a well-written poem by them, they gave money. I won't say how much, but it was more than they spent on us last year, or the year before. I have no words to say but thank you.

I would also like to thank Bishop Belliston and the ward for their help this Christmas. Thanks to their help, Jenn and I were able to get us each a new pair of shoes. That may sound trivial to some, but we don't have much. Our Christmas was made possible by donations, and increasing our credit card debt. Every little thing we get is a blessing. And to have the ability to walk into a store and buy something like a new pair of shoes was such a great feeling. For that moment, we felt normal. We were able to do something normal people do. When normal people need something, they go out and get it. When we need something, we simply go without.

So thank you, everyone! Thanks for your donations, your gifts, your cookies and peanut brittle. We appreciate it all. But most of all, I am thankful to the real Santa Claus, my Heavenly Father.

Jenn's Christmas 2009

Christmas morning was full of wonderful, thoughtful gifts from my darling husband.

First, I'd like to mention that I am a MAJOR Dragonriders of Pern fan. I read everything "Pern" written by Anne and Todd McCaffery that gets published. Earlier this year a new Pern novel came out. I received that book for Christmas this year, completing my collection of published novels in the series. Adam also got me the last short story that was published in a collection of sci-fi/fantasy short stories, which completed my Pern short story collection. On top of that, he tracked down a copy of The Atlas of Pern for me. So all in all, I now own every official Pern book to date. I'd like to state that my husband is very indulgent of my liking of Pern as he does not enjoy the fantasy genre. Isn't he wonderful?

I also got an Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) doll. I had seen it many times when we went to the Disney Store at the mall and mentioned that really wanted it and had every intention of saving up and buying it for myself. Adam took note and got me one for Christmas. I know you're probably thinking that a "Barbie" doll is a bit childish for a 24 year old to receive for Christmas. I don't care. I AM a bit childish and admit freely that I enjoy brushing her hair and changing her outfits.

Along with my doll came a plethora of Disney princess themed items, such as a coloring book, hot chocolate/mug set, pencils, notebooks, stickers, and perfume. I felt like a princess myself! Grown ups can like Disney Princesses too.

One of my most favorite gifts was my rock. I like collecting raw/unpolished rocks and gemstones. These are harder to come by than you would think. Seems everyone wants a polished rock if they want a rock at all. So, first, my husband, uninterested in rocks as he is, remembered this. Second, he remembered which rock I wanted for my collection. He hand-picked me a beautiful and nearly-perfect sample of Azurite that was shipped from China. I was so happy!

I also got, which wasn't a surprise, Pokemon Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. I had pestered Adam from the day it was announced that I HAD to have this game. I think I drove him a little crazy with my persistence. I have been playing it and it is just as good as I thought it would be.

Adam got me a curling iron as well. This curling iron also converts into a hair-straightener. I don't usually do much...or anything...with my hair, but I want to. So, I have been experimenting with my new super-cool Curling Iron and so far, my hair-styling attempts aren't too bad.

Along with the Pern books, Adam got me another Star Wars book for our collection, and the latest Peter and the Starcatchers book. Also some White Hot Chocolate, some See's Bordeaux bars (my favorite chocolate), and some makeup that I needed.

All in all, this was a GREAT Christmas. I feel so blessed.

Christmas Eve 2009

I suppose it's time for us to blog about our Christmas. A lot happened, so we're going to split our Christmas stories into multiple posts.

Baking and last minute shopping filled the beginning of the day, but the celebrating started in the afternoon. We invited Jenn's brother, Kenneth (who was without a family this Christmas), to the Burningham Christmas Eve party. As usual, we ate a big feast, then the grandkids (my nieces and nephews) "acted" out the nativity while the fathers narrated.

Baby Jesus was played by a chubby, crying Rylie in a pink vest. (It was very cute.) Meanwhile, Boston ate one of the shepherd's candy canes, and Jordan did his best to make it look like he had chest hair coming out of his costume. Yes, it gets more and more sacrilegious every year, but it's fun, and the narration is very touching.

After that, the grandkids exchanged gifts to each other, and the three of us left early to videochat with the Kenworthys in Colorado.

I set up the computer in the living room so they could see our Christmas tree and such, but the videochat didn't quite work out. We could see them, but not hear them, and they couldn't see or hear us. So we set the cell on speakerphone to talk with each other, and had them keep the webcam on so Ken could watch Noah open the gift Ken got for him. And, because he was right there, we got to see Ken open our present to him.

We also opened the presents from the Kenworthys to us. Jenn's mom crocheted a Minnie Mouse to go with the Mickey she made last year, as well as a hat for Jenn, and Mario Mushrooms for me. Karen is amazing with her crochet. We also got a book written by Jenn's dad about the early parts of his life. Jenn has read the whole thing already, and read most of it out loud to me. It is a very, very good book. We are looking forward to future volumes.

Keeping with the Kenworthy's tradition, we went out to look at Christmas lights. "The window" that the Kenworthys frequently visited didn't have a display this year. But while Ken guided us through some neighborhoods where his wealthy friends live, we stumbled upon the best Christmas lights display EVER!

It's hard to truly describe, but I'll try. They had a whole bunch of trees lit up, and a lot of other decorations. It looked really nice on its own, but they had it all set to music, which they broadcast through the radio. I had heard of people doing this before, but not like this. Each individual tree and decoration was separated from the rest. So each tree turned on and off, or changed color in sequence to the beat of the music. It sounds simple, but it wasn't. It reminded me of a Disneyland fireworks display, it was so elaborate.

Then we took Ken back to Grandma's house, and Jenn and I went home, where we exchanged Christmas Eve gifts. I got a Mario pajama set, which you will see in the pictures I post for Christmas morning. And I got Jenn a whole bunch of cute socks, which she picked out. Neither of us were surprised with our Christmas Eve gifts. We save the surprises for Christmas morning.


Here's us at the Christmas Eve dinner, the nativity, and trying to get the webcam to work. (Which I did fix soon after the videochat was over... Oh well.)

Sweet 16, Taylor!

I did it for Trevor, now it’s Taylor’s turn.

Just like Trevor was the little brother I never had, Taylor was the little sister I never had. Unlike Trevor, however, I spent a lot of time with Taylor as a baby. Both Bret and Melanie worked, so my mom (Grandma Burningham) babysat her nearly every weekday. And anytime I had a day off from school, and all through summer, I was there with her.

I remember spending a lot of time at Bret & Melanie’s townhouse, and also the drive to and from our house with “Tay-toe-bug” in the backseat, and we knew that “Love Potion #9” or “Goodbye Cruel World” were sure to play on Oldies 94.1. I also remember watching Pocahontas a bazillion times!

But the favorite memory I want to share of Taylor occurred when I was about 11, and she was less than a year old. She was standing against the back of the couch, and I was supposed to be watching her. Suddenly, she fell back, hit the couch, then flipped and landed on the floor. She was crying so hard, and I felt so bad, and everyone was upset at me for letting it happen.

I ran off to my room, where I started to cry. Moments later, my mom brought Taylor in my room to show me that she was okay, and that she had stopped crying. As I continued to cry, Taylor with a sweet look on her face, reached out and touched my tears with her tiny fingertips.

Taylor, it has been amazing watching you grow up and mature. You seem to have a lot more wisdom than I had at your age. I hope and pray for the best for you. And I know you’re at a difficult age right now, but I also know that you are strong enough to make it through.

I have so many things that I would like to say, advice I would like to give, but I’ll just say this: listen to you parents. I’ve known them longer than you have, and I promise you, they are some of the most caring, understanding, and forgiving people you will ever know. They only want what is best for you, and there is nothing you could do to make them love you less. So trust them! They’re not perfect. No one is. But learn from their mistakes and their triumphs. Believe me, it’s better to learn from others’ mistakes than your own.

Christmas Decor & Celebrations

December is a very crazy month with all of the decorating, shopping, wrapping, parties, programs, etc. But here is a condensed update of all the major events this month (so far).


We put up the tree and decorations. We’re still tweaking the decorations, but this is what it looks like currently.


My family did their annual candy houses. That mangled mess in front of my house represents the mangled mess that is our car (nicknamed “Plucky”).

McKenna and Taylor each had dance concerts that we went to. Jordan had a choir concert and Alex was in a performance of “The Nutcracker.” We sadly missed both of those. We wanted to go, but Jeremy failed to inform anyone of Jordan’s performance, and Alex’s was on the same day as Taylor’s, and it was too hard for us to do both. But we really did want to see them, and are very sorry that we didn’t. Taylor and McKenna’s were great though.

We invited Ty, Cami, and Ken over for dinner one night. We ate chicken and salad; discussed politics, religion, literature, and the arts; then played some Mario Kart Wii. (Ken and I won!) It was a whole lot of fun and already have our next get-together planned.

December is also full of birthdays. Jon turned 40, Kaytlin is turning 12, and Taylor is turning 16. Then after Christmas, my Grandma will be... I dunno. But because most of my family is off to Disneyland before Christmas, we’ve been celebrating some of them early. So we had three birthday parties this week.

Well, that’s our Christmas so far. Since we probably won’t post again until after Christmas, we hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas!

Update: Ty & Cami posted some pictures on Facebook that reminded us of something we forgot to mention. We went with my parents to Temple Square earlier this month. I recently found out that Jenn had never gone up to see the Christus (at least in Salt Lake), so we decided to go. It was very cold, but worth it.

Christmas Lights with Ken

I wanted to put lights up at the beginning of last month, but I got too sick, then too busy. But it’s finally done!

I was very mathematical about it this year. I measured all the various portions of the house, added up the lengths of each strand of lights, and I mapped out the perfect way to use the lights without having too much or too few at the end. It was all planned out.

As you may have guessed, it didn’t quite work out as smoothly as I had hoped. I got the first strand and a half up and found that the measurements on the box of lights were way off. They stretched a lot farther than I was expecting.

Then I climbed onto the roof... Now, I’m not afraid of heights. The Tower of Terror and the Maliboomer are some of my favorites at Disneyland. I also really like the drop tower ride at Knott’s Berry Farm. I’ve even been on all three rides at the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and thought it was awesome. I don’t understand it. On the Insanity, I dangled 900 ft. off the ground, spinning in a circle, facing down, with nothing but a lapbar holding me. But on a roof, 14 ft. up, I freaked.

That’s when I joked to Jenn about Ken offering to help us with anything we needed while he’s back here in Utah. Maybe he would help with this, I snickered. That’s when she told me that Ken has no fear of rooftops. Perfect! We called him up, and he was happy to help!

Boy, am I glad he was. I still did some of the roof stuff, but he did most of it. And I refused to go near the corner of the house. He, on the other hand, was leaning over the edge, completely unfazed. That’s about the time I turned the lights on, and two sections of one strand didn’t work. (Yes, we tested them before we went up there, but you know how it is.) Ken fiddled with them and got one section working, but the other section would only flicker once in a while. So, he re-adjusted the lights and tucked the non-working section in the rain gutter.

With the hard part over with, we took a break and ordered pizza. Ken stuck around and helped with the rest of the house. And in the end, we had about a foot to spare. It was perfect, thanks to that non-working section.

Pictures...




And the finished product...


Now we just have to get our tree up. :/

Thankgiving 2009

Thanksgiving was a family event for us this year. We had missed our Family Thanksgiving last year on account that we were sooooo sick. This time, the whole Burningham clan was together in Park City for the Holiday.

There was only one oven available so far away from all of our houses, so most everyone cooked at home and drove it up while it was still warm. Adam and I brought a boysenberry pie, which we made the night before. No stresses for us!

We got up there a bit before noon. The women that were there already were cooking various dishes. Wanting to feel all “cook-ish” too, I watched the pots to make sure they boil.

Leaving the pots to themselves, I began to play my DS for a bit while Adam played with his nieces and nephews.

Meanwhile, I had chosen not to eat the night before, knowing that lunch was going to be a fantastic feast. The kids broke out the leftover Halloween candy and I resisted the urge to munch, but not for long. The appetizers were spread out and people were sampling, so I sampled too. I had to stop myself after a bit, because I was ruining my appetite.

Dinner (lunch) was finally announced to begin and we stood and blessed the food, carved the turkey, and proceeded to eat. I tried a little of everything. I enjoyed the variety of dishes available and may be recipe collecting soon.

I would like to mention a few of the things I am grateful for.

First, I am grateful for my husband. He takes care of all the yucky parts of living in the adult world. He lets me make him strange food and he will try it with a smile. He always has time for me, no matter how busy he is.

My fish. She’s still alive and I am grateful.

My parents (both sets). They are very supportive and understanding.

Money. We don’t have any, but I am grateful when we do.

The gospel. The reasons for this are obvious.





Now it’s my turn to say what I’m thankful for...

My wife. And not just her being in my life and being my best friend, but I’m grateful for everything she is and does (a great cook, for example, and the fact that she will make me anything if I ask her to).

My family. They are the best, hands down. Yours may be the best for you, but for me, you can’t beat my family. So don’t bother trying.

My Heavenly Father. He gave me everything on this list.

Those are just the big things. When you are as poor as Jenn and I are, you learn to be extra thankful for the little things. Everything we have is a gift. From every bookshelf to every book on it. Every wall and every working doorknob. And we don’t know what we would do without luxuries like video games, movies, and a working television.

This was a great Thanksgiving. Lots and lots of laughs and good food. But now that the day I like to refer to as “Christmas Lite” is over with, it’s time to move on to the real thing! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

Jennifer Is...

Joyful
Easygoing
Nice
Nurturing
Intelligent
Forgiving
Electric (inside joke)
Righteous

Musical
Artistic
Exceptional

Kind
Enchanting
Noble
Wonderful
Optimistic
Radiant
Talented
Hilarious
Youthful

Beautiful
Understanding
Random
Nutty
Imaginative
Nice, again
Gentle
Hot
Adorable
MINE!

Halloween: Revenge of the Nerds

It’s a little late, but Jenn and I have the flu right now, so that’s our excuse.

Halloween started this year with Jenn making chili using her dad’s hellfire-hot recipe. She was telling me about his spicy chili, and I was very interested (as was my brother), so she decided to make it for the Halloween soup and chili gathering my family does every year.

At first, she was afraid of it being too hot and didn’t use as much of the ingredients as she should have. But when we tasted it and it wasn’t spicy enough, Jenn started to tweak it and added more and more. In the end, it tasted like... what I think eternal damnation would taste like. And I gladly went back for more. In fact, I ended up eating most of it. I’ve heard that Steve’s chili is incredibly hot, and I would be curious to find out if this chili was as hot as his, or hotter. But it was really good, and everyone who tried it liked it.

Creative little Jenn also made a warning sign to put next to the chili. She used picture of Donald and Daisy Duck and re-drew it, turning Daisy into a witch and giving Donald a spoon and chili pepper. She also attached a bio-hazardous waste symbol to the crock pot.


We’ve already posted pictures of me in my costume. I wore my dad’s pants and tie. Jenn dug some stuff out of the garage, but some of it came right out of the closet. My costume was pieced together with items from others. Jenn used her own stuff. Her shirt, her skirt, her glasses, her books about rocks, and her purse, which she filled with some of her rock collection to show off. She’s a geek and I love her!


As you can see, McKenna came dressed as a nerd as well. And here’s a compilation of everyone who dressed up. (In case you’re wondering, Shane was a BYU fan and Trevor was... a nearly 17 year old - Happy Birthday, Trevor!)


We went trick-or-treating with the nieces and nephews around my parents’ neighborhood. The best moment was when we went to one house (a non-member’s) and from the porch Brady shouted, “it smells like smoke and beer!” Thankfully, no one came to the door, and we all wondered how Brady knew what beer smells like.

So that was our Halloween.

History Repeating

27 Isn't So Bad

After reading Jenn's post I want to clarify a few things. One, I don’t think 27 is “old,” per se. But it does mean I’m on my way to being old. Two, some of you know I don’t like it when people think I’m younger than I actually am. The answer to this apparent contradiction is simple: I don’t want to be old, but I don’t want to be a teenager either. I want to be treated like an adult, but still be young.

About a week ago I was looking at a picture of my oldest brother, Bret. He was wearing an outfit for Halloween that I will wear this year. At some point, my mom realized that Bret was 27 when he wore that outfit. I am now the age he was then. And now he is 41.

It’s a strange experience being the youngest in the family. As a child, you wish to be as old as the rest of your siblings. But at the same time, you have this ingrained illusion of eternal youth, knowing you will always be “the youngest.” So what does it mean when “the youngest” gets old?

I like the way things are right now. Sure, certain things could be different, or better. But all in all, I’m happy with where things are. Birthdays only serve to remind me that things are still changing. While change can be a good thing, and sometimes the best thing, I’m a sentimentalist, and I like things to remain “ever the same.”

Still... all of that aside, turning 27 wasn’t so bad. There is nothing special about turning 27. But given the way I was treated by Jenn and my family, it definitely felt like one of the best birthdays I’ve had as an adult.



As is tradition in my family, I opened my presents first thing in the morning. Jenn had a very nice display of gifts, balloons and signs. As you can see, I felt very zombie-like as I walked into the family room (I was a little sick). Notice my excitement at the thought of getting my very own crock pot. Sadly, inside the box it was just a stupid arcade-style NES controller to add to my retro video game collection. (Kidding, of course. I was there when Jenn bought it for me.) She also got me two vintage Dr. Pepper bottles, Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin for the DS, Lego Batman for the Xbox 360, and one month of Xbox Live Gold Membership. I was quite surprised how far she stretched the tight spending limit I gave her.

After that, Jenn went to work in the kitchen, making me a sauce-stuffed crust pizza (Frechetta’s sauce-stuffed crust pizza was my favorite pizza until they stopped making it), and a birthday cake. Both were delicious!

Then we went to my parents house for cake and ice cream, which is unusual for my family to do for the adults. But with it being Sunday, and my siblings often visit on Sunday, my mom decided to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. Just the family, sitting together, chatting and laughing. Good times.

So thanks to everyone for wishing me a “happy birthday” with gifts, cards, text messages, Facebook posts, e-mails, and in person. You made me feel very loved, and I love you all!

I guess being “almost 30” isn’t so bad. And I don’t think I will mind that much when I do turn 30, or even 40. After all, Bret seems to wear it well. ;)