Family Time

In the last week, I have seen many of my immediate and extended family. Time playing games, eating and just hanging out is so nice. We started our week visiting Tim's family. Christmas with our niece and nephew was the perfect way to start out Christmas. They were a ton of fun to hang out with, watch open presents, and all that fun stuff. I also got to spend more time with my brother and sister-in-law, which I always enjoy. We hung out with the grandparents, met an old friend from SOCC for lunch and just relaxed.

The second half of the week we spent up in Albion with my family. Christmas with my family is always an experience, to say the least. We laughed until my sides hurt, opened way too many presents, ate all sorts of food and even managed a trip to Pizza Hut in Kendallville (the best Pizza Hut in the world in my opinion). We did a little shopping, a lot of laughing and even more eating. I love my family and the time we get to spend together. I love how well my brother and my husband get along. That is a great gift in and of itself.

I love Christmas - I even got to eat mashed potatoes (my favorite) like six days in a row! Probably not healthy, but a nice treat!

Thoughts on Christmas

To think of how it could have been, if Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem, no lowly shepherds at His birth
4Him (A Strange Way to Save the World)

When I really sit and think about it, Christmas just amazes me. God could have chosen any other way to make Himself known on Earth. He could have foretold any prophesy - that He would come as a King, as something Unique unto the world. God could have set the stage from the beginning for our salvation to require so much pain and work. And, honestly, He should have.

He should have come in majesty;
A King to which all others bow.

He should have come with authority;
Words spoken to humble us all.

He should have been recognized;
His Glory revealed without doubt.

He should have been Everything;
The world following His very step.

Instead He came in infancy;
Leaving behind His only home.

Instead He came dependently;
Choosing to put His life in our hands.

Instead He came unassumingly;
No one recognized His face;

Instead He came without anything;
And still He chose to take my place.

During this Christmas season, take the time in the middle of your shopping, wrapping and partying to remember that God could have come to His world in any number of ways. But He chose to come as a babe in a manger; He chose to live humbly, live lovingly and make His mark on the hearts of those He loves. God could have required something more than obedience and trust and love - but instead He asks only that we love Him, love His world and follow wherever He may lead. To me, His willingness to ask so little of us (in so many ways) is the greatest gift of all.

And one more challenge, because I'm crazy like that

100 books in a year - yeah it averages out to about 2 a week. We'll see if this is something I can handle. This will be where I post my success ... or failure...

I obviously can't come up with 100 books right now, but here we go.

Read:
1. The Last Juror (John Grisham - Adult)
2. Marley & Me (John Grogan - Memoir)
3. Tales of Beedlee the Bard (JK Rowling - YA)
4. People of the Book (Geraldine Brooks - Historical Fiction)


Reading:
Wasted (Marya Hornbacher - Memoir)
City of Ember - (Jeanne Duprau - YA)

Plan to Read:
1. Duma Key (Steve King - Fantasy/Horror)
2. The Appeal (John Grisham - Adult Fiction)
3. Attack of the Theatre People (Mark Acito - Adult Fiction)
4. People of Spark (Jeanne Duprau - YA)
5. Certain Girls (Jennifer Weiner - Adult)

Another Reading Challenge

Because how can I NOT do a challenge about Young Adult literature?!?!


It's a pretty simple challenge - read 12 young adult books by the end of 2009. I think I can handle that!

First Reading Challenge for 2009

Because reading challenges inspire me to read books I wouldn't normally read, I have decided to do the What's in a Name II reading challenge in 2009. I will have to think about what books I want to read. The qualifications are:

• A book with a profession in the title
• A book with a time of day in the title
• A book with a relative in the title
• A book with a body part in the title
• A book with a building in the title
• A book with a medical condition in the title

Do you have any suggestions that would fall into one of the above categories?

Falling out of love with PostSecret

A couple years ago (or maybe more) I happened upon a little-known, at least to me, website called PostSecret. It was a simple blog of anonymous postcards that people had submitted as an experiment. The idea was that if no one knew who you were, you could be free to share your innermost secret - your heartbreak, your joy, your confession - whatever secret you had been holding inside you for however long.

Each Sunday I would log on to PostSecret and read the newest secret. And, almost ever week, I would find something that would touch my heart. My favorite posts made me cry, made me think about my life, and made me want to make my own postcard and mail it to Frank. (I never did).

But, slowly over the last few months and weeks I've fallen out of love with the PostSecret website. Instead of touching and inspiring, more and more of the secrets have been about sexual escapades, affairs, hidden desires and unrequited lust. Disallusionment with God, which I can understand to a point, is replaced with hatred toward God. Admitting bigotry and other issues has turned into desires to do violence. The postcards I see on PostSecret now seem to be more shocking that revealing.

I don't know if this is because I am getting old and more conservative, or if I am just finding myself less tolerant of some issues...whatever it is, it's not a site I want to lead my friends to, hence the lack of links in this email. I may find myself on the PostSecret site again in the future, but I will no longer be making a concerted effort to check the site every Sunday. Who knows what the future holds with the site, but I know that starting my week with the secrets I see on there so often is no longer worth being exposed to on a regular basis...

Snow (that cold white stuff)

One of my absolute least favorite things about winter is snow - I know it's pretty, but it's no fun to drive in and it's seriously cold. But, today was the first real snow of the season, and it is very pretty. Despite having to drive in it today, I still enjoy looking outside and seeing the blanket of white. It's a perfect day to curl up, look at the lit Christmas tree and just enjoy the afternoon. And, that's exactly what I'm doing!

Snow always reminds me of being a little kid - I remember giant snowfall amounts growing up - once the roads were plowed, it was like being surrounded by walls of snow and ice. We would make snowmen and snow tunnels; snow forts and snow angels. We would sled, play and have snowball fights. And then, once we were cold and tired, we would go inside, shed about 50 layers of clothes, and drink mom's hot chocolate - the best stuff in the world. Evenings would be spent putting together puzzles and watching movies.

Snow was an excuse to be inside and to hang out with family and do nothing.

As an adult, snow is just one more thing to deal with - much of that joy is gone. I hate driving in it and the thought of winter just makes me a little bit grumpy.

My goal this year is to try and enjoy snow a little more. I want to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and to capture it on film. I want to make snowmen and play again! I want to marvel in the majesty of God's world in the winter like I do in the spring and summer. It is something to enjoy, right?!?!?

What's In A Name Challenge - DONE!

I just finished my last reading challenge for 2008! My original plan for this part of the "What's in a Name" challenge was to read Into the Wild. However, once I started reading it, it just couldn't hold my interest. Instead, I went to the library last week, searching high and low for a book with a location in the title. I happened across James Patterson's Sundays at Tiffany's. Now, I honestly can't remember if I've read anything by Mr. Patterson before, although I'm fairly sure I have at some point in my life...anyway, this was a cute and quick book to read.

Sundays at Tiffany's is the story of a woman named Jane. When she was a little girl, the only time she really got to spend with her mother was on Sunday afternoons when they would go look at the jewelry at Tiffany's. Her mom was a big producer on Broadway and she was a little girl who had an imaginary friend, Michael.

On her ninth birthday, Michael tells Jane that his assignment is up and he has to leave her. She's not supposed to remember him at all when she wakes up the next morning. But, Jane remembers. Fast forward until Jane is a young woman who has never really forgot about Michael, even basing her Tony-winning play on their unique friendship.

As fate would have it, Michael and Jane meet again - even though that has never happened before - the imaginary friend meeting one of his assignments as an adult. The majority of the books deals with what happens once they meet again. I won't give it away, but the tag line on the book is something like "what if your childhood imaginary friend turned out to be the love of your life."

I know, it sounds kind of strange, but it really was a nice book. I enjoyed the characters and the 'just out of the realm of reality' story! All in all, it was a great way to end this challenge!

The Votes Are In

And it turns out NO ONE thinks that "mens" and "womens" make appropriate bathroom signs. Thanks for your input!

Now I just have to convince the powers that be to change them before I going crazy.

Or before Scott does something he shouldn't to them!