Somerset, Cryderman Style

So it began. The week of unending bliss spent with the most amazing people on the planet. December 26th was the date, the date we anticipated almost as much as Christmas. We were the first ones there. Applewood Lodge. Just sitting there in the snow, empty. Waiting for us to come with our Christmas spirit. And we came.

 We came, and we said  hello. Hello to all of the things we had missed for a year. Hello Room 2!

 

Hello lake!

Hello cousins, who slowly began to drift into the lodge, bearing smiles and fun stories from the months past.

           

And what better place to have your Sweet 16 birthday party than the lodge. Kara, my awesome cousin, turned 16 on December 25th. So, my brilliant cousin Ashlee Cryderman had an idea to throw her a surprise party. And she pulled it off brilliantly.

And so, after that, the lodge had begun.

This year, Beth, Sophie, and I decided to do a salon. In the bathroom of Room 2 was the debut of the most wonderful salon in all of Somerset Beach Campground.

It was wildly popular.

Why hello snow! Thank you for coming!

Gorgeous.

And of course, there's hockey. The warmth decided to stay longer instead of clearing the stage for cold, so we had no ice. But we didn't let that stop us.

Then there's random lodge stuff that is reserved for our family only. Like electrical top tricks.

And spoons. Ah spoons, how we love you.

My injury.

Some others are random appearances of Simba and Nala.

And the newest member of our big family, Charlie. The troubled one.

 

Him and McKenna kind of have a "thing" going on.

There's Rockband.

And then the all out "we're at the lodge so let's act crazy and take pictures of ourselves because we're at the lodge and why wouldn't we do that" kinda stuff.

So au revoir, Somerset. Until next year!

Going

"You cannot stop Christmas from coming. It came. It came just the same."

Yes it did. Today. We got tons of presents. But who cares. It's not about the presents. It's about Jesus. He was born today. Probably right around this time. And he was born in a stable. You all know the story. It's just that we should think about it more today. Instead of the hustle and bustle of tearing wrapping paper, screaming over amazing presents, we should all sit and think awhile about how Jesus came to die. For us. The sinners.

Last night, at the Christmas Eve service in Portage, my cousin read something very meaningful. Mary's Prayer. It's hyperlinked. Click on it. Read it. Such a beautiful message. Makes you really think. Jesus came. In human form. He was so perfect. So beautiful at birth. Terrible things were going to happen to him. Terrible.


Now, on that note, let's turn to gifts. True, not the meaning of Christmas, but they're fun. I LOVED my gifts.

I got a Nikon.

And Toms. YES!

Christmas was amazing this year. It was in the future, now it's in the past. Christmas just keeps on going and there's nothing we can do to stop it. It'll go, it'll come, for many times in the future. But remember. Jesus is the reason for the season!

Tomorrow

2 days. I am so physically excited I don't think it's possible for me to be anymore excited than I am right now.

I woke up at 8:30 this morning. I never wake up at 8:30. I woke up at 8:30 because Christmas is coming. And it's coming fast. Tomorrow's Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we get to go to Uncle Mark and Aunt Mary's house. We get to listen to Uncle Mark preach. Then we have meatball sandwiches. Then we go home. We set out cookies for Santa and then everyone goes to sleep in my room. Tomorrow.

It's not tomorrow yet. Yet. Let's focus on today. Tonight we get to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We make pretzels. Just like we do every December 23rd. Then we eat.

Right now I'm in my room, packing for the lodge. But I had to take a break. Just to say how excited I am for tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Togetherness

Well it's late. We know that much. Sophie is in my room and we are bored. So we're gonna do a joint post. I'm gonna talk for a while, then she is. Just to let you know.

Okay, so this is Crisilee......not a lot to say, just that I'm SUPER SUPER EXCITED FOR THE LODGE!!!!! It's gonnna be awesomee.

Sophie here!! Oh and yes, I'm excited for Christmas too!! Yet..... I'm not completely sure what I want!

Crisilee is back. Sophie just left. Guess togetherness isn't workin out for her. Maybe this is our last joint post. I'll bet on it. Ha..anyway, I'm tired, so I'm probably gonna sleep. Merry Christmas!

School

Ok. It's 6:34 in the morning and I have to go to school in 26 minutes. What to do in that time? Blog, of course.
I really can't stand school. You wake up at a ridiculous time in the morning, go to school for 7 hours every day to learn stuff you'll only forget during summer break. I wish school didn't even exsist. I mean, the ice age people didn't have school, and they survived.
And then when you're in middle school, they ask you what you want to be when you grow up! How in the world are you supposed to know that at 14? What if you make the wrong desicion? It's just confusing.
Anyway, school's even worse 2 days before Christmas break! It's Thursday! We are gonna be wild and restless. Plus, I have an Algebra quiz on Friday. Nobody is gonna be able concentrate in that room. I'm ready for Christmas. Very, very ready.
Peace, Love, and Purple!

Christmas is Coming...

Christmas is my very favorite holiday. Why?

There are many reasons.

I love the feeling you get when the first snow comes. You're excited and filled with adrenaline and you just want to get out there and make a snow fort or sled down your neighbor's hill. And when you do, you make snow angels and try to catch the first snowflake on your tongue.

The day after Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days. We get bundled up, grab a saw and go down to get our Christmas tree. We spend a long time deciding which one is the perfect one, but finally we see it and we wonder why we didn't consider this tree in the first place. We snap a couple pictures, chop it down and head home. Then we spend a couple tiring hours unwraveling the lights and stringing them on the tree, but then, it's done. And it's time for the ornaments. We unpack the delicate decorations and hang them on the tree, each kid getting their own turn. When the tree is done, we sit back and stare. The Christmas season has started.

The first day of December. When you flip the page on your calender, something comes over you. It's here. 25 days. Finally. You feel that Christmas is right around the corner. Anything can happen now. It's like Christmas spirit is just whizzing around in the air, just waiting until Christmas so it can explode in to thousands of tiny little Christmas filled fireworks.

Surprises. Every December Mom and Dad have unexpected surprises tucked up their sleeves. An extra movie night, special snacks, and fun extra little surprises for us to get us in the Christmas spirit.

Christmas Eve gets us ecstatic. We get on our dresses, do our hair, and pose in front of the Christmas tree for a family picture. Then we set off to Uncle Mark and Aunt Mary's so we can attend their Christmas Eve service at their church. We listen to Uncle Mark preach and then we head to their house for meatball sandwiches and maybe some hot tubbing. Then we sit in their living room as Uncle Mark reads us a story and we open our Christmas Eve gifts. When it is nearing 10:00, we jump in the van, wave goodbye, and hit the gas to head home. We put on our pajamas and lay out the cookies for Santa. Then we make the beds in my room and get cozy under the covers. We end up staying up till about midnight because we can't sleep.

When Christmas is finally here, Christmas spirit exploded right above our heads. We wake up at 7 and talk excitedly. Mom comes up and brings us cinnamon rolls to eat while they put the final touches on their presents. We jump out of bed and do our hair so we look good for pictures. Then we grab the candy on the steps and Mom takes a picture. Then we step off the steps and gasp. The tree is beautiful. Presents surrounding it, the cookies gone, a note in their place. Our stockings are filled to the brim, things spilling out of them. We read the note from Santa, then go and get our stockings. We take everything out, and then it's time for presents. Christmas lasts till about 1 and we spend the rest of the day playing with our toys or packing for the lodge.

The lodge is another story. We pack and head off to Somerset. Then we unpack and head to Room Two while Mom and Dad head to Room Four. About an hour later, everyone else comes trickling in. We help them with their bags and then we start playing. Beth, Sophie, and I head straight to Room Two and start practicing our talent. For that week, we hang out, play Just Dance, have parties in Room Two, and go ice skating and sledding. We have feasts, talk, and just get filled in on each other's lives. We play board games, make movies, sneak food off to Room Two, and even get in a couple fights. But we make up because we're family.

Now you see why I can't wait for Christmas.

A Barbielicious Disaster

Another homeade video I made with my beautiful sister Mylie Belle, but starring some cool Barbies! Enjoy! (and make sure to pause the music... :p)