A Christmas to Remember

Christmas 2011 was our first Christmas. The season started a bit earlier than most years. I'm an advocate of not listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving but this year was an exception. Annie and I made a trip to my home in Nebraska to help my dad brand his 12 calves. While we were home, my mom asked if we could put up some Christmas lights before we left. The decorating put a sense of Christmas in the air and on the way home to Denver, Annie and listened to a few Christmas songs (Coldplay - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and  a few others.) The following weekend was Thanksgiving in Grand Junction with Annie's parents and the food was amazing! Our families have such similar traditions, especially when it comes to food. The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend found us back on the east side of the rockies hunting for a Christmas Tree in the Buffalo Creek area! It took about two hours to find a good tree and when we finally found one I didn't want to cut it down because it was such a beautiful tree in a lonely area. Annie reminded me that if we didn't cut it down, someone else would. And, Alexis told me that though it is sad to cut down a tree, "every tree aspires to be a 'Christmas Tree!'" So that makes me feel better that we could bring this beautiful tree into our home and "bedeck" it.

The following weekend was the Parade of lights on 16th street mall. That was just a festive event to further throw us into the Christmas spirit. Annie and I used up a gift card for Maggiano's that we received for our wedding. It was an awesome date!

On the 11th, we hosted a Christmas party at our apartment. Many of Annie's friends from the Springs made up to D-Town. We also had a few friends from church stop in. Annie and I made chilli for the party and it was soo good. We also went to the Denver Zoo for the zoo lights before the party. I was pretty impressed with the Denver Zoo lights. I have seen zoo lights in Phoenix, Chicago, and Toledo and Denver's was probably the best. This was the same weekend Mom and Dad Rutledge were in town so we joined them and Nate and Sarah at Mona's for Breakfast and the following morning we joined them again at the Brown Palace where they stayed for the Christmas Party.

On the 15th, Annie and I traveled to Chicago to experience the Magic of the Windy City at Christmas. What an amazing trip that turned out to be. Chicago was not a disappointment on any level. We flew into Midway and took the orange line into the city, transferred to the brown line and got off on Chicago Ave. near Moody. We began in the commons where we ran into Jill Doyle. Annie and I had a burger and it was an accurate representation of Moody hamburgers.  We then ventured to the Sweeting building to see if any professors were around. Just one. Dr. Sauer. What a blessing it was to snag some time with him. A full two hours! I feel like we thoroughly caught up on life since graduation...concerning relationships. By the end of our time together he knew all about our background together and we knew all about holding our relationship out in open palms up to God. Annie and I are temporary gifts to each other and God is most important. If we keep Him as our number one priority, our marriage will last.

Dr. Sauers collection of sharp pencil. It's the pencil that was always held in his "open palm" example.

I had to pretend to be "Flagpoled" since it never happened while I was at Moody.

After showing Annie the rest of campus, we walked down to Michigan Ave. and checked into our hotel. We then walked to Clark street to catch a bus north to Lincoln Park where we would eat dinner at The Basil Leaf Cafe. After dinner, we had coffee at the Bourgeois Pig then headed back to the hotel. Day Two in Chicago began with a walk to Starbucks on Rush to have breakfast and then a stroll down the lake path to Navy Pier. We ate lunch that day at Food Life, a unique food court in Water Tower Place.

I studied at this Starbucks many times.

Water Tower Place Mall

Then, we scurried down Michigan Ave for our underground history tour of Chicago. We both learned so much about the worlds 3rd most influential city (or sixth depending on who you talk to).  After the tour we walked by the new Trump Tower then that evening met the also newly wed Brian and Stephanie for Giordano's (second to Lou Malnatis but closer for all of us) for Chicago's deep dish pizza. The four of us had drinks at the Signature Lounge on the 96 floor of the Hancock building.

Largest Tiffany Glass dome in the world - Chicago Cultural Center

Our history tour

Trump Tower

Rocks from around the world on the walls of the Tribune building

Brian and Stephanie Geier with us in front of the Hancock Center Tree

View from our hotel room

Kris Kringle Market

 Saturday we slept in, had a quick breakfast at Einstein's and then head to Ogilvie station to catch a train to Winetka where we walked though a beautiful neighborhood in the falling snow to the Home Alone house at 671 Lincoln Ave.

Home ALone House

These guys were just little kids when I was in college

Marshall Fields Macy's

 We checked out of the hotel and ate dinner that evening at Portillo's (a freshman favorite in college). That evening we took an El/bus combo to get to Dan and Tara's but we rode the bus about ten stops too long because the driver forgot to tell us where our stop was. Once we made it to Dan and Tara's house in Logan Park we chatted with Tara, then fell asleep quickly. Annie and I were very encouraged and challenged by our conversations with Dan and Tara. They are really in the thick of trial and learning about the Kingdom of God as they journey through life as foster parents and work closely with orphans and struggling families. Sunday, we went to church with them at The Line  , which meets in an Irish Pub called The Abby, where we also got reacquainted with Bethany Keena, another old friend from Moody. The teaching and music were great and we were also able to get acquainted with Jon and Val Guerra who introduced to us our favorite Christmas music of this season! Annie and I were able to experience most of the song, "It's Almost Christmas, Chicago!" After eating lunch with Bethany and some others at The Abby, we took the Blue Line back downtown and met Brittany Rost (a former student in my youth group who also attended Moody) and then we all met up with Aaron Goodrich (Indiana coworker) and his youth group from Michigan and walked down Michigan avenue and then had dinner at Chipotle with them before Brittany took us back to the airport. What a fun and timely trip!

Portillos was a favorite hot dog place in college.

We both loved the Garrett's Popcorn

Brittany met us downtown. She and Annie had the same jacket.

     When we arrived back in Denver, our friend Blake was still at our place. He spent the weekend skiing with friends and used our place as home base. After a few more days of work, it was north to Nebraska for the family Christmas. Annie and I are both very blessed to be close to our family so anytime we get to be with them it never seems to be enough time. Alexis flew in and out of Denver so we got to take her around town which ended up being a shopping trip to REI. Since I had to work on the morning of the 26th, Annie and I brought Jakob, Josh, and Jon back to Denver with us. Annie showed them the sites around the city and we all at an excellent burger at City Grill on Colfax. The following morning we met Mom and Grandma Esther and Alexis in Reunion.  Mom took the boys and I took Alexis and Grandma to the airport.

That evening, Annie and I had a really nice meal and we opened presents from her side of the family for an extended Christmas celebration. The Christmas music continues at our place as we plan on getting the full 12 days of Christmas in. What a beautiful season to celebrate all that is good in the world because a baby was born. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)  Our first Christmas, Christmas 2011 was a really great one. One to be remembered.