Best one yet

Christmas, that is.

Really, this was just a wonderful Christmas. Aside from a Christmas Eve crazy couple of hours (to come later), this was one of the nicest ones in my memory.

Kids went to bed and sleep well, and had to be woken up in the morning - gotta be at church by 10, so have to get moving! Rob got home safely from his second service at the smaller town church, despite snow and bad roads. I "Santa'ed" up the house before he got home, and we got to sit and enjoy a glass of wine when he got back.

Christmas morning wasn't a huge present overload (yay for family sending money, not lots of gifts!). The kids were all excited by what they did get. I was pleasantly suprised by Rob's gift to me (my own ipod!), and managed to suprise him a big - which is hard given the book list he gives me. Then we went to church, then home for lunch, then into the van to go to my mom's. Our only issues were the wrecked wiper blade on the driver's side of the van (slushy roads - ick!), and needing to find a place for a bathroom stop at the halfway point of the trip.

Arrived at my mom's to a ready turkey dinner - yay! - and a few more gifts. My mom was thrilled with the vintage tin I found her, the kids loved what she had for them...and I got to give Rob our big suprise gift. A Wii! Somehow, my mom managed to track us down one in the city and buy it on my behalf. I'm shocked I kept quiet about it to Rob! My family tradition is to play a boardgame on Christmas night, after gifts and dinner. Last night, mom, Rob and I Wii'ed. How fun!

All in all, this was a great Christmas for other reasons too. Like homemade Christmas gifts that really went over well. Feeling that there was nothing we really 'needed' as gifts is a great feeling too. The real icing on the cake was getting an early birthday present from a couple of friends...and really realizing that there are friends here who *know* me, and care enough about me to get to know me and my likes and dislikes. That was beautiful and humbling, and I cried (and made them cry too). Now to make more friends like that would really be a fantastic Christmas and New Year blessing. *heart*

Come for a visit

If you can't make it out here for Christmas, I can at least show you around a bit. ;)


Just across from the front door is our card display. I made it in a (brief) flutter of craftiness.



This is also crafty, but I bought it. I just thought it was cute.



Our garland and tree. You probably can't tell, but the lights on the tree are white, and red on the garland. If you were here, I'd invite you sit down and I'd bring out snacks and a nice drink.



I like this touch - little wreaths around our dining room lights.


Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Wish you were here...or we were there (especially if it's warmer than here!)

Christmas themed links

for your enjoyment.

http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade/
http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade.shtml (these are two different displays, and both worth the look)
http://tackychristmasyards.com/

Take the Quiz here!

the good and the bad

Good:
I delivered two gifts today. One was handmade by me, the other a collaborative effort with my friend M. Both were very, very well received. Yay!

Bad:
picked up some vitamins and omega 3 capsules to help me deal with some 'gosh it's stupid dark and icky' winter stuff. That is fine. Just a warning though, if you take omega 3's that are fish oil based - if your coffee makes you burp at all, it WILL taste like salmon. ick.

one step forward...

and two back.

I guess that's typical, right?

sigh.

I hate winter, darkness, feeling just depressed enough to notice, but not depressed enough to do something about it. Feeling like I can't work the friendship gig, that I can't do the pastor's wife thing, the mom thing. That I'm a constant screw up across the board. Oh, and people sure do love to kick you when you are down, don't they? "oh here, let me point out your shortcomings, shall I?" "why didn't you do x?" Where is the support? The caring? The grace? I sure can't find it. I think I may be close to getting something right....but nope, I'm generally wrong. At least I'm consistent there.

Hey, isolation, meet your friend, Kristin. You'll get along great, really.

I nearly peed my pants

http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade.shtml

just go and read. but hit the bathroom first. really.

see thtat beautiful sunrise?

I took this photo this morning.

At 9:35 am.

I live way too far north.

I often feel stupid and numb. Sometimes at the same time. I wonder if my words, my actions have meaning. If what I say or do has resonance anywhere. If what I try to accomplish is doing anything. If I should love more and be less self aware, or be more self possessed and love more cautiously. If I even have the capacity to love more. Fog settles in to the brain too quickly.

I want to ponder deeper things, to yearn for depth in life, in relationship, in discussion. To hash out issues that trouble the soul (preferably over a glass....bottle of wine or coffee). I think that is my biggest struggle lately, the feeling of being so terribly shallow, and trying to remember how to swim in the deep end.

I need to swim in the deep end. Anyone want to come with me?

D

D is for Dye.

Hair dye. I dyed my hair this week. Nothing exciting or new about that - I've been dying my hair for ever. Well, at least for...gosh almost 20 years now! Once it was for fun, now it's to hide the hints of gray that poke their way out and annoy me.

Picking the box of hair dye brought back memories. Of young girl giggles, a pair of barely teenaged girls, thinking we were up to trouble by lacing our hair with colour. Rinsing out auburn dye and hoping it didn't stain the bathtub or towels, too nervous to pull the towels off to see the results, but too excited not to. Wanting to make a statement, but yet not to be noticed. Good times.

Which makes me wonder what would have been different, how the twists in the road may have looked if relationships hadn't changed. evolved. ended. Would friendships that formed over giggles and 'minor offenses' have been different, if one party hadn't moved, if contact had been better maintained? Some days I wonder. I really wonder. Makes me wonder if someone could be missing me, or relationship we once had.

C is for

Coffee. 'nuff said.


Children - I'm happy with 3, thankyouverymuch. I love having three children, and they are the greatest blessing, it's just not always a cup of tea to be outnumbered.

Church - lots of meanings here. The physical church building, the church body of believers, the bigger church. I'm talking about the body of believers in our church. I'm really really starting to like some of them a lot, and some days I feel really blessed to be able to be a part of their lives. Some of them, well, they require extra grace. A lot of extra grace. *wink*

B

B is for Blogging

Something I do. *grin* Although, some days I'm not entirely sure why. Not sure what my "voice" is trying to say. I've been at this almost 3 years now, and I started this blog to journal our move, and to keep in touch. 3 years...wow. A lot changes in 3 years.

I guess I blog so that it feels like the words I say go further than the walls of our house. That the thinks I think may have some meaning. It's not always been a smooth blogging experience, but I guess that's part of the trip, right?

B is for busting out of town.

what I did on Thursday. I'm home now. Went to my meeting, did some shopping, drank some coffee. I like the freedom of going out and the anonymity of the city. Sometimes it's really nice to just be a face in the crowd.