Jolly, Merry, Happy Photos to share!

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from Christmas in the Merritt House! Please enjoy them as much as I do! :)



All the boys with their Christmas Eve gifts! Broc, Josh and Drew got lucky and scored with a huge box of yummy brownies! Dad is still trying to figure out how come he didn't get quite as lucky and instead got a Grandpa Vest! :)



Carissa and I with our Christmas Eve gifts! Clearly we are thrilled to both get a tub of Cox's whipped honey! YUM!!!!!!!!



More sisterly bonding over the little bump! So excited for Edwin to be born! Only 4 weeks to go! Hooray for being an Aunt!



Pops wearing his head thong! Yes that is correct! It is supposed to help with the snoring but I think it's just moms way of getting him to wear something this amusing! We all had some pretty good laughs!

I'll Be Back!

For Christmas this year Broc and I decided to get my mom and dad a fish...just a little bit of background! When we got married and had our open house in Connecticut I really wanted to have little fish bowls as the table centerpieces! Well the fish ended up being a success (see photo below) and as a result Broc and I ended up with new pets!



Long story short...when the time came for us to move back West to finish school and the sorts my dear mother and father became adopted parents to the one remaining fish left from our wedding, Hazel! Over the course of the next 8 months my mom really did fall in love with little Hazel the blind, spastic fish!

Tragically, a week before Broc and I moved back East to D.C. and were about to claim Hazel as our fish once more, she flipped out of her bowl and dried up dead before anyone got home! This was clearly very hard on her adopted parents because my mom got teary when she called to break the news!

Well, this could only mean one thing! You guessed it! Broc and I decided to replace the hurt of Hazel with another fish! Please enjoy the following video to see just how happy and thrilled my parents were to have a new fish to call their own! :)



P.S. We decided to name the fish Arnold! Mom says he is like the terminator, "I'll be back" and so therefore Arnold fits just perfectly!

He is a VandeMerwe Dang it!

Lots has happened in the past few weeks and I would be extremely ungrateful if I did not take a little bit of time to write a blog for dear, sweet grandpa VandeMerwe! He passed from this life on December 18, 2010 and was an amazing man and example to me. As I think about the different events that took place in his last week of life I am overwhelmed with how much my loving Heavenly Father truly cares for each of His children! We experienced countless tender mercies of the Lord while we were in Utah and feel blessed that we were able to share in Grandpa's last week!



This is grandpa Joe with his brothers and sisters when they still lived in Holland! Grandpa is the 3rd from the left in the top picture!



This is grandma and grandpa on their wedding day! Aren't they beautiful?

Well I guess I can start with the tender mercies...

1.)The project Broc is working on currently had a review in Salt Lake City Utah and since Broc schedules the reviews he was able to make it close to Christmas plus convince his manager that he should be placed on the review!
2.)Broc was scheduled to go to Utah on Monday the 13th which meant Broc made it in time for Grandpa to recognize him, a memory Broc will cherish forever!
3.)I was able to make it in time on Wednesday night to say my goodbyes and spend time with Grandpa before he passed!
4.)Every member of Broc's family was able to gather together for the funeral and share special experiences as we laughed and cried together about memories and moments with grandpa!



This is a picture of the whole family gathered together after the funeral services on Tuesday!

5.)After so many years of serving others we were able to tenderly take care of Grandpa in his last week and it was such a blessing for all of us, especially his children!
6.)The airlines were generous and waived our flight changing fees which significantly helped us out!
7.)We got to look through hundreds of pictures and hear stories from family and friends! Some stories his own children had never even heard!
8.) We were able to participate in the funeral services and preparation, a unique experience that was so great!

When all is said and done, I feel so grateful that I was able to know and love Grandpa VandeMerwe! His example and life have paved a path for me to follow and live up to! I want to serve like he served! I want to love like he loved! I want to be happy with life like he was happy with life! I want to have faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ, like he had faith! Most of all, when my time comes to leave this life, I want to go like he went, with no regrets!

As Grandpa would often say to his kids when they were not living up to their name...You're a VandeMerwe Dang it! Well Grandpa all I have to say is you were a VandeMerwe dang it and I am so proud I have you as part of my heritage now! May your mission continue to be one filled with work, love and service! We love you and miss you always but look forward to the day we can be reunited with you! I know that the Plan of Happiness is one that will bring us true happiness someday because then we will all be reunited as a family again! God be with you till we meet again Grandpa!



He and grandma in front of the George Hotel, an old hotel that he bought and basically rebuilt all in his late 70's! The house was infested with bats and falling apart but he worked hard and made it into a beautiful hotel once again!

Giving Thanks in December?

So I know we are all Ho Ho Hoing now but is it okay if I still give thanks in December? I have been a little swamped with the almost done with my first semester of grad school rush but now things are calming down and I have time to breathe again! Phew! One more take home final to do and I am that much closer to getting my Masters! :)

Well Thanksgiving this year truly was a blast! We went up to Connecticut to spend time with my familia and it was well worth it! Things I found myself grateful for during our quick break at home:



First and foremost I have to say I am so thankful that I got to see my loverly sister with her cute little belly! Not only did I get to see her little belly but I got to feel my nephew Edwin moving around for the first time! By far the high light of our trip!



Next it was wonderful to be surrounded by good friends and family on our day of thanks! We had so much yummy food and plenty to be grateful for! What a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving day!



And then of course there was the post-Thanksgiving Christmas tree shopping! I must admit it was pretty cold up there but we all feel like we picked the perfect tree! Mostly I was just grateful for the boys who were able to cut the tree down, get it hooked onto the car and figure out a way to get it to stand tall and beautiful in our family room! Thanks boys! :)



And last but not least I was so grateful that all of the kids (Car & Josh, Broc & I and Drew & Jesse) could successfully make Kufta en Matzoon! It was a birthday gift for my mom and although the wheat balls were a little bit cracked I think overall it was a great success! Jesse hadn't ever had our traditional post-Thanksgiving Armenian meal and she liked it so I am taking that as a success! (Notice Josh's awesome face in the photo and the lit match in Broc's hand! Oh those boys!)

Really though, my Thanksgiving was just so great! Filled with love and happiness and family! What more could a girl like me ask for? Thanks family for the best 3 day break from grad school ever! I LOVE YOU!

P.S. Even though I said I was giving thanks in December...I'm not going to lie and say that I was thankful Broc was in gorgeous Puerto Rico this past week for work while I was stuck in freezing cold D.C. with snow doing finals...



Ok so I wasn't too happy about that but I am thrilled that we get to spend a few days in Utah this week with his family! I guess for that I can be grateful!