Home again....New Year's Eve

Home again....thankfully. I love being with my family and at home in the house where I grew up (at least since 5th grade), but it sure is nice to come back to my home now....this lovely apartment that is all mine. To come home to my mess, my routine (or lack thereof), my schedule, etc. And to come home with a few days of vacation remaining before returning to work. My to-do list is long, but is slowly being checked off.

New Year's Eve.....how I really hate this day. Somehow it gives me a feeling of things that I'm missing, rather than the promise of things to come. I've only had one or two years where the party that I attended really was worth attending. For years and years I babysat while other people attended their parties. That too was somewhat of a letdown - although the extra cash was nice.

This year, I was all set and ready to just have a party of one here in my little home. Then while I was driving home to Dallas on Wednesday, I got a call from my friend Kelly. She, too, was feeling rather ambivalent towards the parties that were on her option list. So, she decided to have people over to her house, where she could sorta "set the tone" of the evening. So, rather than staying at home tonight, I will venture out to her place and ring in the new year there. Depending on how early the party breaks up after midnight, I might spend the night at her house, or might head back home.

Don't know if any of you make resolutions or goals for the new year, but I try to a least take a few minutes to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. I was introduced to a website (www.futureme.org) that lets you write a letter to your future self and then it is delivered to you in the future at a date you specify. Think I might do that this year....

Whatever you all do this evening, be safe!

Home for Christmas

I've really enjoyed being home for Christmas. Mom & Daddy were in Dallas to just hang out and relax the week before and we caravaned (is that really a word?) home to Abilene on Christmas eve. Heather & Phillip were at his family's house for the holiday, so the three of us just relaxed on Christmas day after we slept in and mom made a yummy breakfast of biscuits and gravy. One of my favorites!!

So, our Christmas really came on Sunday after church. It was different this year having Phillip with us. I am just still adjusting to the changing face of our family as we welcome Phillip. It is a good adjustment, though.

Today we spent just running around, helping Heather track down some wedding things. Plus, I met my friend Lela for lunch. She is living in South Korea as part of a church planting team. I'm hoping to maybe get to visit her and my friend Rebecca in Chiang Mai, Thailand when I take another trip to visit Sarah in the Philippines -- maybe in late 2005 or early 2006.

Tonight is our family dinner with my mom's extended family. We are not eating turkey and all the trimmings this time, and I'm glad about that. Turkey is fine, but not one of my favorites. So, cracker crumb chicken, mac-n-cheese, strawberry-pretzel salad, homemade rolls....yummmm.

Then more relaxing tomorrow, and the drive back to big-D on Wed. Read a blog today about going into "hibernation" and look forward to doing some of it the rest of the week, before returning to work next Tuesday. Gotta love long, holiday vacations.

Snow!

....well, sort of. Today it is cold and moist here in Dallas. Started off this morning with rain, then it became sleet and then SNOW!! Not that it will stick, of course. As a matter of fact, I think it is pretty much gone already! When I went out for lunch today, I got to enjoy the icy snow and blustery north wind. Almost made it feel like Christmas - as opposed to the 70 degrees we had on Monday.

I love it!! For any of you who have snow that actually sticks to the ground, please make a snow-angel for me!!

10 gallons!

Yesterday I reached a milestone.....10 gallons of blood donations! In about 10 years. Pretty amazing, when you think about it. My dad got to come with me for my platelet donation yesterday to see how Carter Blood Care does it as compared with Meek Blood Center in Abilene. It was fun to have him come with.

Work this week is interesting -- only a handful of people are here, but there is still plenty of work to do. So while things are more laid back than normal (jeans days!!), it's not quite like we are on vacation yet. BUT, only 2 more days!!

Back home....

Back home safe and sound from a quick trip over the weekend to Lubbock, TX for my friend Erin's wedding. It was beautiful -- as expected!

4 days and counting until Christmas vacation!!

Another Successful Party!

Well, I've mentioned to you before my Annual Christmas Open House, but I don't think I've fully explained all that goes into this event. Let me start with a little history.

When we moved to Abilene, I was in 5th grade. My dad started working at ACU (still does actually, though his job has evolved throughout the past 18 years). He had quite a few people under his leadership throughout that time, so mom & daddy would host an Open House each year for his employees/spouses. My sister and I were allowed to attend the "no-kids" party only if we helped --- take coats, encourage people to sign the guest book, refill food on the table, etc. Until I moved to Dallas in 1999, I had never missed one of these parties.

Christmas 1999 and 2000 were pretty transitional because I was still really getting settled. Christmas 2001, I was singing on the Worship Team at church, so I decided to have "the party" for the Worship Team. Sad attendance (only 5 people came!), but I do still have 2 people from that group that wait in eager anticipation for the invitation in the mail each year and wouldn't miss it for the world.

Christmas 2002 - attendance was better -- 15
Christmas 2003 - 50% increase -- 29 people came!
Christmas 2004 - I beat any other year -- 30!!

It is a come-and-go party from 6:30-9:00 -- and the time between 7:15 and 8:30 is typically the most popular for people to come. I live in about 900 square feet, but my apartment is arranged fairly well, so it isn't completely overwhelming when all those people are there at the same time!

To me, one of the greatest things, is that it is an intergenerational gathering -- I invite my friends, of course, but also several of my elders at church, and this year was the first that a couple of families with kids came. I just love having friendships across all spectrums and being able to share my home with them all.

Here's a list of what went on the table this year (started with The List from Mom and has evolved each year, but some treats will NEVER change!):

• Party Weinies
• Sausage Balls
• Crab Dip
• Corn Dip
• Homemade Salsa
• Sausage Dip
• Veggies/Ranch dip
• Chips/Crackers
• Banana Bread w/cream cheese
• Strawberry Bread w/cream cheese
• Fudge
• Peppermint Bark
• Puppy Chow
• Missouri Cookies
• Chocolate Caramel Popcorn (this is the only item that wasn't homemade from scratch - it is a Boy Scout fundraiser item that I buy each year)
• Apple Cider
• Coffee
• Almond Tea

Amazingly, there is always food left over! Which is good, because playing hostess keep me busy and I really don't eat that much during the actual party - I just graze from time to time. And this is all food that I love, so having some leftover is nice (makes for easy lunches!).

Anyway, just thought I'd share a little of my holiday experience with you all. Happy Friday!!


p.s. I have to thank my two good friends, Kelly & Jenny. Kelly came a little early to help me do the last minute candle-lighting, etc. Jenny stayed a little late to help me put away leftovers. Without those two great friends it would have been a much more hectic and stressful night. Thanks girls - love you!!

Crazy

Yes, it has been way too long since I posted. I know. For the few of you out there that look to see what I might say, I'm sorry. What can I say? My life is out of control.

After surviving the Home Tour on Dec 5th, I made a marathon trip this past Saturday to San Antonio down and back in the same day for a wedding. 10 hours in the car for a 3 hour party. Worth it? Yep -- seeing the groom struggle to breathe and not cry like a fool at the sight of his bride....absolutely priceless.

Annual Christmas Open House .... at my house ..... tomorrow night! I love it. Really, I do. It is lots of fun..... but lots of work. Looking forward to the clock striking 6:30 pm and hearing the doorbell chime as the first guests arrive. Then I can breathe and enjoy the night.

Another wedding this weekend -- not quite so quick a trip, but still will only be about 36 hours. Fly to Lubbock Sat morning, wedding Sat evening, church and fly home Sun evening.

My parents are coming in on Sun afternoon to enjoy a week to relax at my casita. Will be very nice -- but it means all the Christmas gifts must be completed and wrapped before I head to Lubbock. Think they are all purchased, just have some wrapping to do.

Also spending lots of time at church -- budget committee, elder selection committee, singles group coordinator, Ladies' Retreat planning committee, bible class leader, frequent PowerPoint clicker......

Oh, yeah, plus work. This week has been Board Meeting week - which somehow has equated to crazy week this month. Maybe it is because we are presenting the 2005 budget, I don't know. Plus, about the last of my good friends at work is quitting. My three other favorites (outside of my department) have left to pursue other options in the past 18 months, now Ovi is leaving too. I'm pretty bummed.

All that to say - I'm going to have a serious, sit down, come-to-Jesus meetin' with myself over the Christmas holiday time away from work and set some clear boundaries and priorities as far as what things I will be committing to next year. This is just way too much. I need to be able to enjoy my life, not just run from one thing to the next. And I'm only doing it for one right now - imagine if I had kids!

Survived!

Well, the Home Tour is officially over and was definitely a success. We sold a lot of tickets (around 900) and processed a ton of transactions through the Holiday Shoppe. Final receipts are still coming in as we continue to receive ticket packages back from the reps that sold tickets for us and as our advertisers from the program send in their checks, but it has proven to be a record-breaking year! Better than any other in the past.

While it was a great success, it was physically exhausting. I spent about 28 hours from Friday evening through Sunday evening on getting the Holiday Shoppe set up and then the actual tour on Sunday. Then spent about 4 hours today working on getting numbers finalized, deposits processed, etc. And that is just a little part of the hundreds of hours that were spent by all the volunteers in preparation of items to sell. All for a great cause.

Now, if I can just catch up on my sleep....

It is time....

This Sunday, December 5 is the Home Tour that I have spoken about previously for New Friends New Life. Finally it is here. I haven't had nearly the overwhelming workload (especially in the last few days) that some have in regards to this event, but I sure will be glad when it is over.

So, from about 4:00 today until probably 8:00 Sunday evening, all I will do is eat, breathe and sleep Holiday Shoppe business!

• Tonight is pricing some last remaining gift items while hanging out with a couple of my good friends
• Tomorrow we will receive, repackage and price all of the Incredible Edibles that will be donated for sale and I'll get the check-out area of the Holiday Shoppe all set up
• Sunday, I will go to early church after taking a friend to the airport at 6:00 am (more on that in a minute), then head over to the Holiday Shoppe about 10:30 for final last minute preparations. Then from 1:00-5:00 it will be complete crazy busyness as we check-out everyone who purchases items from the Shoppe. Then comes my real work: the cash counting, totalling, and the hold-your-breath moment of "how much did we make this year?!?"

Crazy. Nuts. Insanity some would say. But also immensely satisfying to use my talents and abilities to aid this wonderful ministry. So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for low stress levels, high tolerance, and NO RAIN!

So, to the airport run at 6:00 am.....my best friend from college, Sarah, moved to Manila (that is in the Philippines) in July 2003 to teach children of missionaries at Faith Academy. I went to visit her in October 2003 and it was a very unique experience. Here's a picture of us on the beach at Puerto Galera (on another island in the Philippines).

Anyway, Sarah came home spur of the moment last week to attend her grandfather's funeral and she'll be spending the night with me tomorrow night and I'll be off to take her to the airport on Sunday morning - bright and early!

Well, I guess I probably should get back to work now....Happy Friday everyone!!

Thansgiving

My good friend from college Rebecca's husband Russ posted a Thanksgiving list at their blog and invited others to comment their lists also. Here's what I posted over there:

Thanks for the opportunity to post a thanksgiving list here...all too often I overlook the blessings that I have and focus on what I don't have, rather than what I do have to be thankful for. Here's a quick list (in no particular order):
~a fantastic, loving, wonderfully supportive family
~a soon to be brother-in-law that fits like he was always a part of the family
~a great job that is stable and lets me learn and grow
~more than sufficient paycheck to allow me to help others and still live an above average lifestyle
~a church family that loves me and supports me
~great friends that love me and support me, while still pushing me to be the best that I can be and challenging me in my walk with Christ
~good health for me and my family
~grace -- which I am desperately in need of each and every day

I can say with absolute certainty that I take for granted the blessings that I have and do not take the time to thank God for what I have. Hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends and that you took time to state your thankfulness.

A friend

I had a chance to reconnect with a friend tonight -- it had been 18 months since we spent any time together -- how is that possible?! -- and a chance encounter at the local Super Target brought our worlds back together again.

There is no reason for the fact that we haven't seen each other in all these months -- just a lack of attention and getting wrapped up in the busyness of work and life. I didn't realize how much I had missed this friendship until we spent the evening talking, laughing and catching up with each other. So Josh, if you are reading this, I promise not to let 18 months pass again!

I guess there is a lesson here for both earthly, physical relationships and my relationship with God. Neither will prosper and flourish without constant work and consistent attention.

Christmas....

I know, I know -- I will got tons of grief from the folks that believe that Christmas shouldn't begin before Thanksgiving is over. I, too, believe that - well, mostly. What I believe is that you should take time with family and be thankful for all the blessings that God has showered upon you and yours during the Thanksgiving season (well, really all year long).

In my love for Christmas, I do a whole lot of stuff for the holiday and I LOVE IT!! BUT, sometimes it requires getting a little ahead and doing something of which I typically wouldn't even dream.....decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Yes, you read it here....the goal for my day today, November 20 is to decorate my humble little apartment for Christmas. And now, at 1:30 pm, I have decorated my new skinny tree with a few favorite ornaments and opened almost every box of decorations that I have. So now my apartment looks like a Christmas store in disarray. Never fear, I will get it all up and pretty before I head home for quality time of Thanksgiving with my family.

Now why, you ask, am I breaking my own rule? Well, it is like I said, I do love this season so much and create so much chaos and craziness for myself that there just isn't enough time after Thanksgiving to get it all done! The one big factor that is driving this is my annual Christmas party/open house. Basically, I cook a bunch of fun, fextive holiday party food and invite all my friends to come hang out. Lots of fun, yummy once a year foods, and great fellowship with friends who talk about it all year long....but it does translate into some work for me. Believe it, though, if I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it!

Hope that you are enjoying this week of Thanksgiving and anticipating the reason we celebrate Christmas - the birth of our Savior.

High School Football

I wasn't the biggest fan in high school. Probably because, in the early 90s, Abilene High football stunk. I mean they were really, really bad. I'm not sure they ever won a game in my four years there ... well, at least not many.

But now, Abilene High is a football powerhouse! They won district this year with a 10-0 record! This past Saturday, I went to the bi-district game vs. North Crowley. Although it was a chilly (~50 degree) and rainy day, we sat at Birdville Stadium and watched our Eagles pound the Panthers .... final score 45-21 (it was 45-0 at halftime!).

Who knows what the Regional game vs. El Paso Montwood will look like this weekend, but if we prevail, we'll probably be up against Southlake Carroll (#1 team in the nation!) for Quarterfinals.....yikes! Go Eagles!!!

The weekend - part 2

Well, now I'm staring down at the last few waning hours of my weekend....it has been relatively uneventful, which is nice.

Did venture out to Wal-Mart this afternoon .... yuck. In college, I used to love to go to Wal-Mart. I could wander around for hours finding things I didn't really need but somehow convinced myself to want. Now, Wal-Mart just really isn't convenient for me, plus it is just always so dang crowded. But, I can say the trip was successful - found the Starlight mints I needed to make Peppermint Bark to sell at the Holiday Shoppe of the NFNL Home Tour (see yesterday's post for an explanation of that) - still hunting a good deal on 2 pounds of white chocolate. Found a new purse for significantly less that if I had found it pretty much anywhere else that I shop in Dallas. So, the trip was a success!

Now, I'm home to savor my last hours before the week begins in full force. Probably going to make those cards that I mentioned yesterday - just didn't quite get around to doing them. Probably going to veg in front of a movie for a little while...then that's it for my Sunday.

The weekend!

I am so glad that the weekend is finally here.....

I worked a little late last night (~6:00, which actually is late for me, especially on a Friday!) then went by my new friend Jan's house to get some info from her. We are members of a board for a non-profit called New Friends New Life -- it is a ministry that was formed out of my church a few years ago to aid women who want to leave sexually oriented businesses and turn their lives around. It is a great ministry and very rewarding to work with as you can actually see results in the life of real people.

Our big fundraiser each year is a Home Tour that is held the first Sunday of December. We have three homes in a pretty swanky part of town that we sell tickets for people to tour. At one of the homes, we host a Holiday Shoppe with great little gifts and wonderful Incredible Edibles available for purchase. Anyway, Jan is the Home Tour chair this year and she is super organized and has everything running so very smoothly. But, I am helping her keep track of money stuff since that is one of my gifts and not one of hers! (Shameless plug and plea for money - even if you don't live in the Dallas area, but are interested in supporting this organization, tickets are only $15 and I'd be happy to sell you one!)

So, then I came home to chill out on a Friday night -- watched a little TV then off to bed. I just love Saturday mornings where I can sleep in! So far today, I've done some cleaning, some laundry, some organizing. Now I'm off to make a couple of cards (birthday for my sister and a wedding card for my friend Erin).

Happy Saturday to all!

Cool weather....

It felt so great today....cool (maybe mid 50s), rainish....I might just say that this is about my favorite weather. This morning, waking up snuggled under my comforter while my nose was cold in the chill of my room.....I love it!!! Somehow it was just wrong to wear sleeveless and flip flops in late October!!

Handwriting Analysis

On the suggestion of Mae, I took this Handwriting Analysis…check it out….eerily, pretty accurate. All from one little paragraph…. (My personal response to their analysis in red italics)




Jenni has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people. (Actually it is quite difficult for someone to "break into" my circle of trust)




Jenni's true self-image is unreasonably low. Someone once told Jenni that she wasn't a great and beautiful person, and she believed them. Jenni also has a fear that she might fail if she takes large risks. Therefore she resists setting her goals too high, risking failure. She doesn't have the internal confidence that frees her to take risks and chance failure. Jenni is capable of accomplishing much more than she is presently achieving. All this relates to her self-esteem. Jenni's self-concept is artificially low. Jenni will stay in a bad situation much too long... why? Because she is afraid that if she makes a change, it might get worse. It is hard for Jenni to plan too far into the future. She kind of takes things on a day to day basis. She may tell you her dreams but she is living in today, with a fear of making a change. No matter how loud she speaks, look at her actions. This is perhaps the biggest single barrier to happiness people not believing in and loving themselves. Jenni is an example of someone living with a low self-image, because their innate self-confidence was broken.




Jenni is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.




In reference to Jenni's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Jenni slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project. She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Jenni can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.




Diplomacy is one of Jenni's best attributes. She has the ability to say what others want to hear. She can have tact with others. She has the ability to state things in such a way as to not offend someone else. Jenni can disagree without being disagreeable. (Sadly, this is where I differ from the "analysis" -- I am not quite as diplomatic as I would love to be...)




Jenni is secretive. She has secrets which she does not wish to share with others. She intentionally conceals things about herself. She has a private side that she intends to keep that way, especially concerning certain events in her past.




When Jenni expresses an opinion on a issue she will stick to that opinion, and probably will not change her mind. In other words... Jenni is stubborn. (as my mother would say....AMEN!!) When she is wrong about something that she has decided upon, she will have trouble admitting she is wrong. Changing Jenni's mind can be very difficult. Once Jenni makes up her mind, she doesn't want to be confused with the facts!



Jenni is moderately outgoing. Her emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, she can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. She has the ability to put herself into the other person's shoes. Jenni will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes she will be happy, the next day she might be sad. She has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because she is in between. Psychology calls Jenni an ambivert. She understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, she will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." She doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing her to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to her. She puts herself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet she will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Jenni is an expressive person. She outwardly shows her emotions. She may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Jenni is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. She weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when she finally has to. She basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.


Those of you who know me personally, what do you think????

Back in glasses

Well folks, after 16 years of wearing contacts I am back in glasses. But only for a short while, thankfully! I am planning to have LASIK surgery shortly after the first of the year! But because I have worn gas permeable contacts since I was 12, I must go for a period without wearing them to ensure that the doctors have all the measurements right to fix my vision. While I am very excited about the prospect of seeing clearly without correction (because I am so very, very blind), I am a little nervous about the actual procedure and possible risks. So, any thoughts and prayers you could say during this process would be greatly appreciated!

Any words of encouragement from anyone who has gone through it?

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Breast Cancer Site needs your help in funding free mammograms for women in need! Help make early detection possible every day with a simple click, at no cost to you. Visit The Breast Cancer Site today!

Tired

I'm pooped. Emotionally and physically. This was ACU's Homecoming weekend -- and the first time that I was at home the same time as my younger sister and her fiance.

Homecoming is such a busy weekend -- at least it is for us. Thankfully I wasn't in a social club, so no need to get up before the crack of dawn for breakfast, but making a 9:30 parade is hard enough. (I mean really, anytime you are up before 9:30 or 10:00 on a Saturday is way too early!) Then visiting with folks all over campus....then off to the football game. It is hard to get excited about a football game that is so crowded you can hardly see anyone in the stands, never mind to watch a team that rarely wins. Just not my thing.

After the football game we went to my cousin Lauren's house to visit her week old baby, Lindsey. She was so precious....I think I could have sat and watched her for a long time. Then we ran home to eat and change clothes before the musical (this year it was Kiss Me, Kate) -- good show, but rather long. Made it hard to get up for early church this morning at Highland. Then the lovely drive back to Dallas from Abilene.

Whew....I'm about to fall over. Definitely an early to bed night.....