The ox and lamb kept time, puh rump a pum pum...

I'm sort of making fun of Jeanne in this post, but she said this is one of her favorite Christmas Carols. Little Drummer Boy, one of the most atheological Christmas songs ever! We have teased and teased her this week about this at school in all of our Christmas pageantry. I want to know what some of your favorite Christmas carols are, or the consistent 3 of you who read this.

John and I are going to finish Christmas shopping on Monday evening (way to wait for the last minute). He literally has been working around the clock to help his dad get their new clinic opened and I've kind of brow beat him into going. I want the experience, like in the movies when families are in the mall together and they get cider and see children sitting on Santa's lap (after a $5.oo fee). As I'm typing this, I realize this is so stupid and not what the Lord intended for us in the holiday season. Maybe we'll go share the gospel instead...

I'm hoping to get to hang out with some good friend this week with the kids and make cookies and sing carols with Julie's guitar to bring in the holiday season. I saw a glimpse of Mary who's been in Africa and am looking forward to hearing her stories on missions there. I also am looking forward to Amanda being home soon and hearing more about teaching Kindergarten in Brazil.

If you feel like a holiday treat and want to spread good cheer, go to McDonald's a get coffee there and not Starbucks. Its been really busy and I don't want to wait on you anymore. No offense, just really tired.

I didn't tell you what my favorite carol/song/hymn is for Christmas is. There are many so here's a list:
1. What Child is This?
2. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
3. Go Tell It on the Mountain
4. Silent Night
5. Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria)
6. Harry Connick Jr. Christmas Album, a must have
7. John's favorite FYI (Do you hear what I hear and O' Come All Ye Faithful)

If I don't get to blog before Christmas, I love you all and am happy that we are all blessed more than we deserve. Merry Christmas!

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow...

Its official. With my 20 oz. Coke Zero, 16 oz. of Organic Mexico down, and a half eaten bag of Gardetto's (the dark rye ones are the best!), I'll be finishing finals today. TODAY! This has been the stinking longest semester of my life, no thanks to an amazing but tedious sociology course on racism. I can look ahead at the week before Christmas and breathe a sigh of academic relief. Until Jan 12 when it starts all over again and the countdown to certification starts back.

I've done some fun things over the weekend. I ran a Christmas 5-k with our Waco Loopers running club and dressed like the leg lamp off the Christmas Story. That was our theme and it was amazing. There are more pics on facebook if you want to go to Ty and Marie's page:









I call her friend for so many reasons...


Serious runner

Here are a few things I'm thinking about as Christmas draws nigh:
1. Amanda and Mary are coming back into the states soon!
2. Ashley is going to get hired at Ashland (look, I'm already well wishing for you!)
3. Ty and Marie are moving into their new home over Christmas which very well could be our new home if Chattanooga stays in its economic death bed!
4. Julie is going to go to Nashville but not stay in Nashville (right?)
5. John is going to get back to a normal schedule!
6. Grant is going to pass math!? (i'll let you know)
7. Jeanne and Summer are going to be my running partners over Christmas Break?
8. I'm going to read for pleasure over the holiday break.
9. I will get my house picked up and laundry done while on holiday.


Hooray for finals being over!!!!!!!!!

Don't Give Up On Me...

I saw the Andrew Peterson Behold The Lamb concert at Juie's church, well the Lord's church that Julie goes too, and it was one of the best things I've seen,listened too EVER! EVER! If you have an opportunity to see this, do! Thank you Julie for the gift. You're the best!

So its your birthday, so its your birthday...Happy Birthday to you...

My birthday is tomorrow. I'll be 35. Even typing that number mystifies me. My title is what the waiters at Chi Chi's used to sing whenever it was open in Lexington. I bet most of you reading this are too young to remember Chi Chi's and that mystifies me too! I love birthdays. I mean love them. I overdo them whenever possible and if money was no expense I would Super Sweet 16 every year of a life. I usually say to whoever, "You only turn ____ once!" That's my excuse for living it up for a party. I love cake, ice cream, streamers, food, friends, music, laughing loud, blowing out candles, saying "Ohhh, you shouldn't have..." all while thinking you totally SHOULD have because birthdays are AWESOME! That's right Julie, AWESOME! Last year was a fun one because Julie made that Kit Kat Kake (I had to alliterate that)and Amanda and she cleaned my kitchen and left Gold Star Chili in my fridge. It about made my head blow off. Ty and Marie got me new running shoes and John gave me pajamas with matching slippers I wore on New Year's at the pajama party. I'm telling you, I remember birthdays.

Top Ten reasons you should love birthdays:
10. God Loves birthdays, He says, "children are a gift from the Lord" and well, if you weren't born than you wouldn't be a gift...
9. You can wear those cone shaped hats and if you are a birthday master (much like a Pokemon master) you can wear two and look like Krusty the Klown off of the Simpsons.
8. You can blow those obnoxiously loud horns right in someone's ear and its ok. Otherwise, they would punch you in the face.
7. Waiters sing at resteraunts and hate it. And that's funny.
6. People can say, "What?!!!, You're not ___! I would have never thought that" (post script...be saying that to me, that's why this one is in here!)
5. The whole day is about me. Well, except for the 3 presentations I have to do at school, and then its all about me...no wait, I have to do the kids laundry but then its all about me...
4. Cake. is. amazing.
3. Sometimes your parties are a surprise ;) (this is a wink in case some of you aren't reading into this)
2. You can go to Disney for free in 09 for your birthday! I love Disney too!
1. It's another year God has given to glorify Him, and I pray that happens in 09.

A Birthday Haiku:

It is my birthday
I lived another year strong
Isn't that cool beans?

ok, I'm going to bed now. Blowing out my metaphoric candles of the day...I'm telling you, crazy about birthdays...

Gobble Gobble Goo and a Gobble Gobble Gibble...I Wish That the Turkey just cost a nickel...

so Thanksgiving is underway this weekend with 2 meals in the mix. I will be preparing sweet potato casserole, angel biscuits, and deviled eggs for all the occasions. I make all those things really well, if you don't mind me saying. I also plan on running a 5k Thanksgiving moring to offset the celebrations of the weekends. So far, the only plans on the table for Thanksgiving are hanging out at home with the kids and John since all the meals for extended family will be over the weekend. I'm hoping for a day of Gold Star Chili and non-stop movies!!!!!! Doesn't that sound glorious, a race with friends I'm so thankful for and hanging out with the sweetest family the rest of the day. Add a huge pair of boys sleep bottoms to the mix and it adds up to perfection. So in thinking about Thanksgiving, I thought I would start a list of what I'm thankful for. I like to do lists like these because it makes me be concise so here's my 2008 Top Ten for Thanksgiving:

1. Grace that is greater than all our sins
2. John--specifically how he loves me in a unique way and I love him in spite of his love of cats.
3. Grant, Ella, Molly--quite possibly the most entertaining and amazing kids on the planet.
4. Forgiveness
5. We have not forclosed on our home...seriously, it's a miracle
6. The light at the end of the tunnel for my certification
7. Amazing Friends here in Richmond--Julie, Jeanne, Summer, Ashley, Ty and Marie, Stuart--And far away--Ginger D in Texas, Johnny and Jennifer and Seth and Candace in Frankfort. Without your encouragement and laughter I don't know how I would have made it this year.
8. Jenny Stephens Family--letting us live on your farm has been a blessing you won't ever be able to measure here on Earth.
9. Buck Run Baptist--even though we live far away from our home church, I thank the Lord for a pastor like Dr. York and a church that loves the way they do.
10. Knowing I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not the same as I was before.

Count your blessings this year. We are so much better off than we deserve, aren't we?

ATTENTION!!!!!

only 4 weeks left in this semester, all you EKU students.

That. IS. Amazing!

hey, hey, do the brand new thing...

Dear blog,
It's been a while. Halloween, working, school, home, running, it all seems a blur. How do I catch you up. Let's prioritize! Ok, 5 weeks of this semester and off to methods! Wooooooo! It has to be easier than what's happening now. And Ella and Molly made straight A's and Grant (no straight A's) is doing awesome in school and all the teachers love him. If I'm told once, I'm told a thousand times, "You're son is so funny". I'm still running and trying to decide to do the Nashville 1/2 in April. I never thought I would be scared to train like that again, but it really is some work to do. The country music and free food could carry me through.

John is helping his family open a new clinic so he is busy, busy, busy. We are also making plans for him to go to Brazil this summer to serve there for 10 days, Lord willing. I'm finding it increasingly hard to find someone to help me along spiritually in this season of recovery so John is doing that. He actually reads to me at night because I'm so inconsistent. He quizzes me like a theology student sometimes too, which is challenging, but good. Julie is holding me accountable in prayer and vice versa. Not having a church family close proves its disadvantage, but the Lord provides, doesn't he. This is still such a weird season of unknowns but my amazing small group leader, Johnny, tells us only deal with obedience for the day. I can manage that.

I want to spend the holidays away from Ky by going someplace warm. I don't think its even a possibility, but I want my little family to be together. We do have a blast when we're all home together. They get their chill out skills honestly from me. I'm looking forward to the break. Not the holidays, just the break.

Oh yeah, Molly had this amazing birhtday party and I thought I could show pictures but I didn't put them on my flash to get that done. Next time. So I put a fun picture of her on the side. She is 10! Time is flying. Don't deserve the sweet family I have, but am so glad that I get to steward them for a time. Molly had a prom for her birthday. It was crazy. I'll post pics this week.

Dr. York is finishing the ten commandment series and I urge you all who read this to go to Buck Run's sight and download. I can't say enough about how the Lord has blessed him with the ability to orate God's word. Truly something.

Ok, now to superficial stuff, my new favorite thing to do on Sunday nights is to sit and watch Extreme Home Makeover in the floor. I was crying so hard by the end of last Sunday nights show (i mean full on ugly cry) I thought I was going to have to take medicine for being stuffy. I LOVE that show. Uh, as Julie says, its like 4 Lifetime movies at once. My birthday is in a few weeks and I'm hoping to have an Extreme Home Makover show kind of happening where we cry and its awesome and the whole town is in on it and Grant jumps up and down and cries and the girls are hugging and John is running around in circles because I made it to 35!!!!!! maybe need to back off the reality t.v. some...