Christmas Day 2008 - Part I

Christmas Day 2008 dawned lovely and warm. We slept in a little that morning because we had attended the 11pm Christmas Eve service at church the night before. Well, technically we came out of church on Christmas morning...just after midnight. It was pretty awesome to spend time singing in Christmas morning with family and church friends. We got home a bit bleary-eyed, but then got stuck into opening presents and THEN allowed ourselves the comfort of our beds. Did I mention that 2008 was all about new things, rather than the traditional? Now you know.

So where was I? Oh yes, so then Sunday morning we awoke and took our time getting ready. Mom and Kay had spent Christmas Eve preparing a feast for our planned picnic to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland - Montville to be exact. So we packed up the car and headed out to the Kondalilla National Park where we ate and drank (Grapetizer). After lunch, my sister got it into her head to go on a hike around the falls. What the? It was over 30 degrees, we had all just eaten, we're wearing JEANS and now she wanted us to exercise? Oy vey! At any rate, we all fell in for the hike, but it was not enjoyable and it was NOT easy. There were several times when I thought I was seriously going to need an ambulance, my heart was pounding that fast! Suffice to say, I felt fried by the time we got back to the car. All my carefully applied makeup was no longer on my face, but somewhere on the forest floor along with who knows how much perspiration! I had never been so happy to see the end of the trail as I was then.

We all climbed back in the car and headed back to Brisbane for a calm and cooler rest of the day inside, relaxing together.

So, I guess as far as being un-traditional, we succeeded...but please, please, PLEASE can we go back to traditional for Christmas '09?






Clowning around
















29.5 Degrees and rising!
















We have arrived!









Mom and Dad enjoying Christmas lunch, though Dad seems somewhat distracted.