Merry Christmas!

Brian and I spent Christmas with my parents in Palm Springs. This is the first time in five years that I have been with my parents on Christmas Day. We were unable to go to Seattle since I am so pregnant. It has been so relaxing here. On Christmas Eve I didn't even get out of my pajamas. Although I don't know if I should be necessarily proud of that fact. On Christmas we woke up and opened presents. Savannah was the big winner with a ton of very cute dresses from Grandma!

For Christmas breakfast we ate tamales (SO GOOD) and then went swimming. I posted the picture that was taken from far away- I am the size of a house and a little self conscious. After a very long nap I woke up to Mom's prime rib dinner. We finished the night by going to the movies. We saw Valkyrie, which was very good. What an awesome Christmas. It was so different from the Seattle Christmas. Seattle had a major snow storm- almost blizzard-like conditions. Maybe it was a good year for us to skip since the airport was closed down for many days.

Here are some pictures from the last week!

This is my study group for the last 16 months. This was taken after a finance study session that lasted about 7 hours! Me (the pregnant Kelly), Kelly (the non-pregnant Kelly), Michael and Mark.

Brian and I at The Melting Pot. I have always wanted to go and he took me to celebrate finishing my MBA. The dessert was my favorite part!

My work Christmas Luncheon at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County. I just thought it was a good candid photo of my baby belly at 33 weeks. I am not sure who actually took this picture. I was handing out the Christmas bonuses and someone must of grabbed my camera and snapped a quick picture.

This was taken at the practice for the Primary program. All the kids are so cute!

I am done (deep breath).

I took my last final at Chapman tonight. I had five finals this week which allowed me to complete the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in a record 16 months.

After the exam I just sat in my car and cried. The past eight months have been the toughest of my life. After Brian and I found out that I was pregnant I put school in overdrive. My advisor told me to drop out. She said it was impossible to go to school more than full time and work full time- all while pregnant. I was determined. I just can't believe I actually did it.

It was a very tearful drive home. It was from joy and exhaustion. I know a lot of my emotions are due to hormones, but I am so overwhelmed by so many feelings. I believe this is what it is like to cross the finish line after running a marathon. I have been in school as long as I can remember. All of a sudden I turned in my finance exam and it was over. Looking back I don't know how I did it. I know it wouldn't have happened without Brian and my parent's support. Thank you.

Baby Shower Weekend

This weekend I was thrown 2 baby showers! On Saturday friends from church threw me a shower. It was at my friend Erika's house. It was so much fun and the food was SO good.

On Sunday a medley of friends came together for a shower. There were people from work, high school, Rainbow, and just friends! It was held at my good friend Kylee's house. It was such a fun afternoon filled with lots of laughter. It felt more like a reunion! Kylee's mom was so generous to let us have the party at her house- which is gorgeous!

My Mom rapping Humpty Dumpty! There were dance moves and everything. She totally won!

Thank you to everyone that came. It was such a special weekend. Now... I just can't wait until she comes!

Peter Moved to Dallas

Peter, my brother, is a News Anchor and Reporter for Fox television. He went from market #99 in El Paso to the BIG TIME market #5 in Dallas. He took the entire month of November off and spent it down here in Palm Springs. My parents drove with him from Palm Springs to El Paso, picked up his stuff, and then drove all the way to Dallas. At least they weren't cramped in the truck the entire time because Peter picked up his brand new car (2009 Honda Accord) while on the way to Dallas. He has an amazing loft on the 20th floor with a view of downtown Dallas. I can't wait to visit him. I am just so excited for him and all the wonderful things happening in his life.

He starts on Monday and soon you can see his stories on the FOX website at http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/.