Happy Belated Holidays!

The Holidays were very different for us this year. 

You know there is the obvious – we are celebrating in Poland! But we are different this year. 2013 changed each of us. We have been pushed past where we thought our limits were. We have learned so much about ourselves and about who God is making us.

Thanksgiving officially kicked off the celebrations. This year we had the privilege of hosting new friends and even a few people we didn’t even know! 

It was not the loud and crazy carb-loaded feast that we have grown accustomed to. It was nice though. We really reflected on the things we have to be grateful for. 

Oh, and I attempted to make pumpkin pie. That was an experience that I don’t plan to repeat. Let’s just say the crust won the war!

We were so blessed to have Hayley (my sister) and Bo (my cousin) come to visit for 9 days during Christmas time. Their visit made things a little less emotional for the Luttrull girls. Jason is a rock. We tried our very best to squish as much Poland into their visit as possible.

A major highlight was our train trip to Krakow. It is a beautiful city about 3 hours south of Warsaw and is known for having wonderful Christmas markets.

 

They did not disappoint! The girl’s even got to ice skate while we were there.

We had the privilege to host a fun Christmas celebration the weekend before Christmas. I planned to take lots of pictures, but I was too busy having fun! I did manage to snap a shot of some of the goodies we made for the festivities.

The best surprise of the season was that Carlie got a new kitten, Polka. She has been begging. I really don’t like animals – AT ALL. Somehow she still got her way. I was actually as excited as everyone else to surprise her with it. Her reaction was priceless.

A four course Christmas dinner has been my tradition for years. This year I decided to dial it down and enjoy the day with my family. We actually watched a movie! A more low key meal was worth having the extra time. I attempted to bake my first turkey. That, too was an experience that I have no plan to repeat. Let’s just say vegetarian Christmas dinner!

We decked the halls, celebrated with family and friends, had a visit from Santa, and loved on each other. All the makings for a very Merry Christmas!