happy christmas!

(image via here)

oh holy night

the stars are brightly shining

it is the night of our dear savior's birth

long lay the world in sin and error pining

til he appeared and the soul felt its worth 

a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices 

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

truly he taught us to love one another

his law is love and his gospel is peace

chains shall he break for the slave is our brother

and in his name all oppression shall cease

sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we

let all within us praise his holy name

we're off to colorado in just a few hours and we cannot wait. and we will be sure to report on how traveling across the country on christmas eve with a dog goes... 

we hope you all have a joyful, peaceful, beautiful holiday. thank you for being a part of our lives.

happy christmas!

well, hello!

life has been so good lately. last monday i took my last final. this crazy, busy, somewhat annoying semester has finally come to an end! ryan, ellie, and i are still rejoicing that it is over. yesterday i got my bill for next semester. usually that is fairly upsetting, but look at what the first charge was...

that's right, a graduation fee!!! because i only have one more semester left! hallelujah. 

other than wrapping up the semester, we have been busy with holiday fun. we got to go to the white house christmas tree lighting with friends a few weeks ago. it was a lot of fun and a very "washington, dc" experience, but it was FREEZING. like really, really, bone chilling cold. here's a video of the exciting moment:

i like to call this video "let's go christmas!"

white house christmas tree from Kelsie Brandt on Vimeo.

and, of course, some pictures. which by the way, i was so prepared with my camera and extra batteries, but when i went to take my first picture i realized my memory card was sitting on my desk at home. nice. so, these are all very high-quality iphone pictures.

that's common, the host. 

that could be the president... not sure.

it was a very fun, festive night with some great friends. i'll post more christmas fun soon! hope you're loving this season!

-kelsie.