Christmas

Well this Christmas was very unique. David and I celebrated Christmas with the Bibiloni's the evening of the 23rd by attending an AWESOME service @ LCBC, followed by dinner at Symposium. All was lovely, and it was nice to enjoy the family in such a quiet, special way. On the 24th we traveled to Linesville, to spend the remainder of the holiday with the Acklin's. Christmas eve is my FAVORITE day of the year; my parents always have a dinner and then we attend church, and the highlight is always O Holy Night. And we were not disappointed. Christmas morning we awoke early, though weren't allowed to see the tree/gifts until 3pm...It was already getting dark. LOL. By the time we finished (5:30pm), it was dinner time... MMMM Mamma and Papa Acklin never fail in this category!!! We plumped up with a feast fit for royalty.

Since then... family time has been extra special this holiday season. David and I are blessed with a long holiday break this year, and are taking advantage of every minute. By that let me provide examples.... David and Jarrett discover the Xbox, play, play, play, play, eat, play, play. Hours later...

Jordyn & David go to the mall for returns with Mom and Dad Acklin, while Jarrett continues... play play play... We return home, eat, Jarrett and

David stay up until 4am getting to the last level in Call of Duty 5. Wake up this morning; David and Jordyn discover Little Big Planet for the PS3, play, play, eat, play Call of Duty for the PS3, visit family... We return.. and so far it looks like I hear the sounds "David, are you

ready for some unfinished business?" Looks like Jarrett is ready to hit up the Xbox with hopes of beating the game entirely.... Ahh, what else would we do with our time? Ha Ha Ha... we are having a great Christmas holiday and loving having family all in the same house, honestly!!!

From our family to yours; Merry Christmas,

enjoy your family, and peace on earth

(as we attempt to conquer the video game world).

Staying Green

Not many things are left green in Pennsylvania right now with the wonderful change of seasons and sprinkling of snow. But we are trying to stay green with our living styles and wanted to share how.

1. Traveling Eco-Friendly. Book your flights, hotel, and/or car rental with a travel agent such as Better World Travel (betterworldclub.com), which donates a portion of each fare to environmental cleanup. Carbon offsets are also available.
2. Using real dinnerware. Yes, paper & plastic is easier, but its been a good feeling knowing we are diminishing the amount of waste we contribute to our landfills. This includes cloth napkins too!
3. Down to one vehicle. We have no choice but to plan trips around our one car, and its been a great team building practice. While it sometimes means creative scheduling, and not doing everything possible each day, its been a joy scheming together.
4. Recycling. I know it sounds silly, but in some places (like Linesville, where Jordyn grew up) not everyone has a recycling program. Here in Lancaster we make sure to put anything recyclable in the correct receptacles.
5. Dishwasher. Suprisingly enough, it is more efficient to use the dishwasher than hand washing. So we try to fill up the Bosch before running a load at night (its less expensive at night, did you know that).
   
6. Washing Clothing. Using cold water instead of hot when at all possible. To put in perspective how wasteful hot water is, washing your clothes in hot instead of cold for a year, uses more electricity than leaving the refrigerator door open 24 hours a day for a year.
7. Web Presence. Well here you read, and we wasted no carbon on that. Sure, a little running of your laptop or computer, but much less fuel for your pleasure. Plus, it is much nicer to update the site at will than have to mail constant updates. So, read, enjoy, and save a little patch of green earth!

We are all trying to save money with the economic state of the country, upcoming holiday, and just life in general. We are not only living by the above ideals to save the environment, but to save money, too! Have a Happy, Eco-Friendly Holiday!

Love,
David y Jordyn