Leave Them All In Awe

I am determined not to miss Christmas.

This is the best time of the year, the spirit, the joy, the fun, the parties, the gifts, the shopping, the traditions, the everything we wait all year for is here, and I'm missing it.

After being sick for longer than I can even remember, here we are three days before Christmas and I still can't muster the energy to do all the things I love the most. Wrap presents. Bake. Driving to see Christmas lights. And it's making me feel very grinchy.

This is my FIRST MARRIED CHRISTMAS. I had visions of romantic dinners by the Christmas tree, and late nights sneaking presents under that tree. Cold Christmas mornings snuggled under blankets opening our economical and thoughtful gifts together. Making homemade cinnamon rolls and then hitting the roads to see our families to celebrate.

None of that seems like it will happen now. It's more like struggling home late from work, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner and lighting enough candles in the house so it doesn't smell like a dead lizard (a whole different story). I'm lucky if I plug in the lights to the Christmas tree.

I need some pixie dust or something from Santa to break me out of this funk. Because, by golly, I will not miss Christmas!

Gonna Come

I feel a shift.

A shift in the earth. In my bones. At my desk.

A shift in the way I feel and how I make my day count.

It's been dormant for a little while, but now the sparks are starting to glow much brighter. The big pieces are starting to move ever so slightly in the right direction for new things, new places, new faces.

It was a quiet shift. It came suddenly, but softly.

It's unmistakeably God's quiet voice. Something new is out there to discover and to experience. For Him. For my family. For me. It's strange how even though I haven't prayed specifically for this, he knew all along what was on my heart, and made his move.

Mariachis Locos!

El Salvador. A beautiful country. A sad country with great pride. A place with great unique factors, like their food, their warmth and their music. But it's a place where my new family calls home and one they welcomed me to with open arms.

Our week-long adventure in El Salvador began with food, and ended with more food. I could live off this food. Pupusas, frijoles, salsa, coffee, approz con pollo, anything and everything with lime.

We visited so many beautiful places, Finca QueQueQueisa a coffee plantation where 100% of the profits are donated back to the city it is in for community projects, such as running water and school improvements. Apaneca, a beautiful mountain region where we drove (for quite a while) and saw great views of the mountains, and the people that live there. And we saw all the places that are special to the family, homes, restaurants and more.

The wedding we attended was also a great time. It again reminded me of my own wedding. Surrounded by family, friends and a fabulous party. I learned more than I ever thought I would about Jason and his family. How crazy, loving, and fun-loving they are. How much they don't worry about food, or sleep, and how they really just want to have fun with their family.

I hope to make it back there one day with my own children. Just as I will show them where I come from, I want to always remember where my other family comes from. A beautiful country, with an even more beautiful family.

Some People Wait A Lifetime

Good friends. Good family.

Good grief. I can't for the life of me dig down deep and write anything meaningful lately. Life has been too happy lately...I guess that's a good thing :)

I did make a startling discovery the other day. I love washing Jason's work shirts. Who knew that one load of laundry could bring me so much joy. I'm still ambivalent to the rest of the laundry. But putting all those white, oxford shirts, with cuff stains and the smell of car cleaner, into the washing machine, and then taking them out fresh, crisp and clean makes me feel more like a housewife than anything else. It makes me feel like I'm in an I Love Lucy episode, and that's a fun feeling.

The picture's above are from a fabulous birthday outing for Jason and our best friend Justin's birthday. Rock N Bowl in New Orleans was a blast! The company we keep is nothing short of spectacular, and the best part is, is I can take this photo, put it right next to a photo from 2004 when we were all freshmen/sophomores in college, and it would be the same group of people -- hanging on to each other as a family. That makes me feel like I'm in a Friends episode.

My life in TV episodes...now that would be an interesting blog post...

Year After Year

I've been thinking a lot about work lately. And how in three years at one job, I've learned more about what I do and do not enjoy about work, life, myself, other people, than I ever learned on a college campus. A few reflections:

- Most people don't have a clue what they are doing, the ones that succeed are the best at faking it
- Putting myself in situations that scare the bejeezus out of me, has given more confidence and drive than I thought possible
- It's a man's world
- The image I have of myself is very different than what others think of me, and that's a good thing
- People listen when I use my outside voice
- I am grateful to be from a small town, it helps put things in perspective
- It IS possible to be nice, yet firm, and get what you want (I'm still practicing this, but I've seen it work)

I find myself challenged everyday. And it is refreshing when I face those challenges and succeed, but also greatly humbling when I fall just short. It's OK that I'm still learning. It's OK that I don't know it all. Everyday is a new challenge.

Conversing With The Flowers

Although not the best quality, these pictures were taken at the Sugarland concert Jason and I attended.

What a great, memorable, Summer night.

Gleeful!

Coming to 'Glee' Season 2: Original Music, a Sue Sylvester Book, a Second Theme Show - TCA Report