some thoughts on christmas...

Every year, as we grow closer to Christmas, I begin to ponder the stories and prophecies of the birth of Christ. My favorite remains the story as told in Luke 2, perhaps the most often-recited version. You may recognize it from your own readings and church activities, or perhaps, you will recognize it from Charlie Brown Christmas.

As I read this on the ferry, Christmas Eve, I was halted by a line I'd never really noticed before, about Mary. And I wanted to share it with you, and pen some of my own thoughts. Here is the birth of Christ, as told in Luke 2:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Did you catch it? Here it is again:

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Mary treasured the things she heard and pondered them. What does that mean? The shepherds were so ecstatic, they couldn't stop talking about it. They rejoiced, they glorified God, they praised Him. For the angels, the message, the tidings of great joy, and for the little babe in the hay.

You may, or may not, know that Mary was about 12 years of age. That's the time a girl married back then, and Joseph was likely not more than 15. Perhaps we would have to assess the typical maturity level of a 12 year old in those times, compared to today, but I know that I, as a 12 year old, could not have handled the weighty responsibility of carrying the Child of God in my womb, and bearing Him on Earth, (without drugs, no less!)

What does it mean, that while shepherds were praising, Mary was pondering? I'm not entirely sure, but I've chosen this view on it:

When Christmas is over each year, we often lose the spirit of Christmas. Generosity. Salvation. Forgiveness. Great Joy. These things should be with us year round. I think Dickens said it best:

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

Mary stored up the joy, the generosity, the salvation, the forgiveness - all of these things that have become ours because of the Advent of Christ - in her heart, that she might feast off of them all year round. In quiet, contemplative awe of the miracle at hand, she chose to sit by the cradle of her Son, of God's Son, and feel the things that we should feel when we reflect on the birth of our Savior.

There are three Mary's in the Bible that make an appearance, and each seems to have a profound interaction with the message of the Gospel. Mary, the mother of Christ, the chosen one of God. Mary of Magdela, a prostitute, a sinner, in need of salvation. And Mary, the sister of Martha, who knew that when the Savior came to dinner, He would be far happier having your attention than causing you to race around anxiously to prepare a great feast. Think what you will of the "unwed mother", the "prostitute", and the "lazy girl". But please, as the season draws to a close, keep mind of their quiet, contemplative spirit. None of the Marys could get enough of Jesus. And it seems clear that each of the Marys treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Lord, help me to have the spirit of Mary.

when does it change?

i had the opportunity to talk with my aunt on Christmas morning, who lives in England with her husband. we were discussing (by phone, of course) the hecticness of our family traditions as they stand now - how we try to squeeze in three celebrations and a church service in two days. i told her that for now, i loved it. i love the busyness.

and she told me that one day, i'll be tired of it. i'll want a tradition of my own. funny thing is that until she said that, i hadn't realized how true it is. i'm okay doing it this way for now - maybe even for a few more years. but i know that when we begin a family of our own, i'll want to know what it's like to wake up on Christmas morning in my own bed, to the sounds of little feet running up and down the hallway, checking to see if we're up yet, or to the feeling of being watched, only to find my own little ones peering over the top of the mattress at me.

there are only two significant changes to my holiday traditions that i can recall in my lifetime. the first was the year mom & bob were married. that Christmas, matt and i were engaged, so he came with me to christmas at the farm, and it was decided that mom & bob would head back that same night to seattle, instead of spending the night at the farm as we had always done as a family in years past.

the second was about the same time, when matt and i decided that we would do "eachother's Christmases" as a family. so while i was used to two celebrations in one day, suddenly, there were three, and some family politics meant that pushing his family's celebration off to another day of the week would cause weeping and gnashing of teeth, and so we've chosen to do it this way. for now.

as we are more settled in our life, in our marriage, we are feeling the urge for a baby, even though i know i'm not ready for a few more years. and i think i've decided i want a dog first. (remember 28 days? first a plant. if you can keep the plant alive, then you get a goldfish. then a dog. then you're ready for a relationship. etc. totally applicable here.) so i wonder when our traditions for Christmas will change. maybe when we have a baby. maybe when our baby grows into a preschooler that really comprehends Christmas... or maybe when we get a dog.

christmas, in review...

matt says i'm suffering from present withdrawal. and i think he's right.

so, knowing that we have big plans for new years coming up, and my birthday the weekend after, and some spending money to blow, i'm going to get over myself and move on.

a little about our christmas...

we have a rather hectic tradition, but so far, i love it. friday night, i couldn't sleep, so i was up late scrapbooking until i felt my eyelids grow heavy. saturday morning, we were up early for breakfast with his family. his dad had to work, but we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, a vivacious round of one of our favorite games - Mexican Dominoes, and of course, gifts.

{mexican train dominoes with matt's mom & sister - one of our favorite games}

nikki made us a set of gorgeous stamped linen napkins. matt's mom bought him a laser level and studfinder (and the joke of it beeping wildly when i point the studfinder in his direction just never gets old...) and me a customized Stampin' Up! copyright stamp, with my name on it. we got david a few fun books - drawing and counting, and a cute little outfit for kassidy. we gave nikki a beautiful porcelain church of the "victorian christmas house" variety, to help replace a collection she recently lost.

{as usual, the kid gets more out of the box than the toy (in his defense, the toy had to charge). but i think he makes the best christmas present of all, don't you?}

on the way home, we stopped at the superstore JoAnns to check out their Christmas houses. his mom gave me the funding to buy a few to start my own collection, as an early birthday present, and matt fronted me the money to buy another house. their Christmas stuff was already 70% off, so i got 5 $25/ea. houses for about $40. we headed home to pack up and rest, and then headed to church for the annual candle-lighting service. the message was poignant (another day, another post, maybe.) and, i felt, a little overly dramatic, but as usual, the music was fantastic, and we end the service every year by singing Silent Night as we light our candles. my favorite part.

another part of our christmas tradition is the mad dash from church at the end of the service to the ferry boat. we almost always *just* make it onto a ferry that's leaving, and we love that it works out that way. our drive across the peninsula was filled with great conversation about some different religions we've been learning about. i love how my husband can get into the stuff that i find so interesting, and really give me a good run for my money in conversation.

we arrived at the farm to find my parents and grandparents nearly waiting for us. set the table, enjoyed our traditional cold smoked turkey, homemade cranberry relish, and all the usual trappings. i love our christmas eve dinner. after dinner, we clean up and gravitate towards the christmas tree. and inevitably, grampa always says (teasingly) "well, i'm beat. maybe we should wait until morning to open presents." this year, he shouts, from the table as mom & grama are cleaning up in the kitchen "preeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeents." and i looked at him and said "you sure you don't want to wait until morning? it's past your bedtime." he just giggled.

opening gifts was fun. full of surprises. mom & bob revealed to me the plans for this weekend, in two parts: a cd labeled "play me first" and an envelope labeled "open me second". they're sending us to Portland to see Mama Mia!, which i missed when it came to seattle {the cd gave that way, featuring ABBA's very own "Mama Mia"). mom knew how much i wanted to see it, so they got us FANTASTIC tickets at the Keller Auditorium, and are sending us out to dinner, and putting us up for the night at the Oxford Suites hotel!! we're so excited!!

matt bought me some scrapbooking stuff - he's so good. a new set of MM foam stamps and a new set of MM magnetic stamps, plus a new Colorbok Perfect album. he received three gorgeous golf clubs from my parents, which thrilled him to no end, and some books, cds and a game from me. my grandparents bought us two tickets to the 5th Avenue theatre, and are letting us choose the show. we're struggling to choose between The Wedding Singer and Pippin' (or at least i'm struggling).

late to bed saturday night, of course, and we were up early sunday morning, thanks to a power outage that turned the CD player on, super loud, when the power came back on. stockings were opened - more scrapbooking stuff for me (again, he's SO good!) and miscellaneous goodies and golf accessories for matt. mom & bob have apparently started a new tradition. i thought stockings would end when we got married, and they pretty much did, but this year, there was a big "santa bag" under the tree for us. lots of odds and ends, snacks, car washing accessories, some super-expensive soaps i love, etc. a great way to make the fun of opening gifts last a little longer...

we enjoyed a nice long breakfast with my grandparents - a fritatta, which was absolutely delicious, and then packed up to head out to my dad's. things were leisurely there - we're all struggling a bit to "feel" christmas. the 5 of us opened presents - a few scrapbooking books i've wanted, plus a new paper cutter and a hand drill for me, a few video games, books and a movie for matt, and a beautiful wreath from my step-sister for us both. and the secret project i've been working on for the last few weeks was a hit: an album for my dad, filled with photos of my grandfather over the years. dad looked through it twice as he opened it, and twice more on monday morning. he said he couldn't look at the last few pages, as he grew misty-eyed by then. my goal, in that gift, was to give him something he could share with my grandfather, talking through the memories, that could become something he could cherish after my grandfather passes away. apparently, i succeeded.

{dad, opening his album.}

after presents, we drove out to my grandmother's house for dinner. nice, low-key, relaxing. we got to watch my cousin, tim open his presents - mostly Jeff Gordon stuff, with whom he is fascinated (because they share the same last name.)

the rest of the evening, and most of monday was spent at my dad's house, hanging around. i like it this way. we packed up and headed out, to be on a 3pm boat home. it was nice to be home. as much as i love the season, and didn't want it to end, today i feel ready for it. i'm ready for the new year. ready to clean and organize and put away all of our christmas decorations.

my favorite picture from the whole weekend is nothing special, it just touches my heart. matt, on the floor with our neice kassidy, who's scooting, near crawling:

{i think she likes him.}

a quick hello...

and a belated merry christmas. we've just returned from a long weekend, and while matt has the whole week off, i return to the office tomorrow, when i'd rather be curled up on the couch with one of the delicious new scrapbooking books i received.

christmas was nice, but as always, i'm suffering from that post-holiday slump, when my inner child hangs onto every last bit of christmas, singing still to christmas songs on the radio, and refusing to take down the tree for at least two more weeks. (or so.)

i've just finished separating out our goodies, his to his office, mine to mine. hopefully i'll find a way to put away all of my new toys, preferably before my best friend comes over friday for the twice-annual (ok, quarterly) reorganization of my scrap room.but for now, i'm feeling under the weather, and working hard to find the energy to make dinner, and of course, to find something about the coming of spring to look forward to... blech.

lots to tell you all about, but not until later.

2 1/2 more days...

hmmm, wednesday. what to post, what to post...

i'm reading this fantastic book on world religions. i'm fascinated by the belief systems of different religions and such (even though my own beliefs are firmly rooted in Christianity), so this has been a fun read. i'm getting a "tour" of LDS, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Judaism, and i think we'll be covering Buddhism too. really cool, really informative. while the book is biased towards Christianity, the authors are working very hard to be fair to each of the faiths they cover, and i think they're doing a good job.

we're just about done shopping for our Christmas family. every year, at work, we adopt a family via the Salvation Army and contribute to buy them a grocery gift card, and gifts for every family member. my friend jenny coordinates the effort, and i usually get to help with the shopping. the wants and needs of this year's family was very different from families we've served in years past, but taking care of them has been just as fun as ever. today, we get to wrap the gifts we bought for the parents, but we include wrapping paper so the parents can wrap the gifts for the kids. i love doing this, but every year, i wish i could be a fly on their wall on Christmas morning.

that's it for me today, i guess...

my mother is up to something... this morning she asked if we had plans for new year's weekend, and when i said no, she replied "well, then, if you'll trust me, you have plans."

soooo. she won't tell me anything more, but i've managed to get out of her that this is for my birthday, that's it's just matt & i going, not a family thing, and that we'll be gone saturday & sunday... i'm very excited, though i have no clue what i'm excited about... i have some theories, but because she and bob are planning it, there's no point in even trying to guess!!

so, stay tuned...

only three...

shopping days left before Christmas! (i don't count Christmas Eve, because we celebrate with half of our family that day, so i don't have time to shop!)

i'm glad we're down to the last bits of preparation. here's what's left on my to-do list:
1. bake magic bars for Christmas Eve dinner. a family tradition.

2. make no-bakes for my dad. (daddy, if you're reading, forget i said that.) also a tradition. this man doesn't want gifts, just his favorite cookie.

3. buy a few things for, and then finish, a handmade gift...

4. make a sugar cookie christmas tree for fun, and dip pretzels for my step-siblings.

5. buy one more gift, which is technically on matt's to-do list, but i can't help leaving it on mine until the gift actually is in our possession. i'm anal that way.

6. wrap the very few gifts i have left...

7. pick up the rest of my nativity scene from the pottery painting place. i can't wait! this is a project that's been 2 years in the making, mostly because i'd find the painted half of the set, and have lost the unpainted half... and then i'd find the unpainted half, but misplace the painted half. finally, i got both halves in the same room at once, painted the remaining half, and from now on, they'll go in the same bloody box!

so, what's left on your to-do list??

a quick note...

it's going to be a busy week, so i'll jump in to say hi as much as i can, but i may be scarce...

my bestest girlfriend in the whole wide world is home from school for christmas, for a whole MONTH and i'm thrilled. no, i don't get her all to myself, but i suppose i can share. tonight, we're going shopping, and friday, we'll be baking all day. so excited.

tomorrow, matt's taking me to a nursery up north a bit that totally decks out for the holidays and is quite the spectacle. i've always wanted to go, and never got around to it.

wednesday, i'm doing my annual last-minute-shopping trip with my mom - one of my favorite events of the season. i don't have any shopping left, it's just a great excuse to hang out with her at some place other than our office!

thursday is my only chance to finish my only home-made christmas gift (other than the baking), and i'm really looking forward to it. love the project, wish i could post pictures now, but it'll have to wait until after christmas due to lurking eyes...

i have friday & monday off, and then next friday & monday off, and then the following friday off. how hard is it going to be to come back to work after my birthday for 5 days straight!?

if for some reason i don't post before the weekend:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

the weekend has been lovely. mostly relaxing, with a touch of activity, and lots of productivity. just the way i like it.

saturday, i ran a few errands, putzed around, and then helped matt at the church, in preparation to be on time to a christmas party, hosted by my best friend's parents. she made it home in time for the party, as a surprise to her mom, by the skin of her teeth, and it took quite a bit of creative ride-wrangling to get her from the airport to her house without her mother getting suspicious.
but it worked, her mom was totally surprised, and the party was so fun. didn't get into bed until after midnight!

this morning we got up and went to church, and then took advantage of the long, free afternoon. i baked, scrapbooked, cleaned, and cooked. but it felt good to relax!

recurring dream...

i have this recurring dream. while the scenery changes a bit each time, it's basically the same concept, same people, same setting. and it always feels so life-like when i'm sleeping that i don't think to wake myself up from it.

i'm sitting in our highschool auditorium, during our musical theatre production. i'm in the audience. and it occurs to me that they're starting *my* song - the one i'm supposed to sing. i've missed my cue.

so i get up, pretending it's part of the act, and i head for the stage as i start singing... but i don't know all the words. it's not like i've forgotten them, it's like i never bothered to learn them. so the spotlight is on me. i'm wearing a black dress, in costume, and it occurs to me that i'm not singing all that well... i'm kind of in my 'singing along to the radio' voice, certainly not my performance voice.

this happens a few times in the dream. different songs, or different shows, but each time, i miss my cue and i feel embarrassed when the song starts without me. and then i try to catch up by heading for the stage, the spotlight hits me and i sing, but i don't know the words.

i'm sure you could spend some time philosophizing about the meaning of this dream. perhaps my subconscious feels like i have no idea what i'm doing in life, that i'm missing the point. or maybe i just miss musical theatre. hahaha. it's hard to say.

the other weird dream i had last night was somewhat related. somewhat.

i'm back in highschool, and a friend of mine - john - has just broken his mom's clothes washer by immersing it in water or something... (how? i dunno!) so they replace it, and as one would expect, she's rather flustered by the amount of money it costs for a new washer. but then, i'm alone, standing at the edge of a pond, and the new washer is in the back of their station-wagon (again, how? i dunno!) and it falls on me, pushing me into the water and catching on my foot. it's falling to the bottom of the pond, and taking me with it, and it's all i can do to get my cell phone to work. i call john and while trying to get him to understand what's happening, that i need help, all i can say is "pond. pond."

i really have no idea where this one came from. it was weird to have john suddenly pop up in a dream - i haven't seen him since the day of our highschool graduation, and except for the occasional updates i get from miscellaneous old friends i run into, i haven't heard much about him. his presence in my dream may have been spurred by the fact that i drove by his ex-girlfriend's grandparent's house last night and saw her car parked there, but what a strange jump.

ok, that's it for me. feel free to analyze my dreams or tell me i'm just flat out crazy. :)

'art' journal musings...

so i'm currently taking shimelle's 'journal your christmas' class, and i'm really enjoying the daily writing prompts.

but i am having issues in the 'art' portion of it. i really admire ali edwards, and i think it's killing me that she posts her entries on her blog. sure, i could just stop reading her blog for a while, but why deprive myself of basking in the glow of her talent??? but the truth is, my art isn't like hers. and i don't do so well in that free-form collagey style.

and so i'm not exactly happy with my journal. i'm trying to work past the feeling that my art is 'not good enough' - and embrace the mantra of 'there is no wrong way'... but it ain't happenin.

tangible proof that we are indeed ready for christmas:

and for you photography buffs who want to know, these photos were shot digital with an ISO of 400, using f4.8 and shutter speeds varying from 1 to 3 seconds.

brown paper packages tied up with string...

how often do you see those anymore? in an age of packing tape and priority mail boxes, so rarely do we see brown paper packaging at all, let alone secured with string.

on our way to coffee today, we passed a little old lady with two packages - both wrapped in brown paper and tied down with white string. and the lyrics of the classic Julie Andrews song flooded my memory.

and it made me happy.

in other news, i'm procrastinating. i'm trying to plan the first scrapbooking class for PaperZone, in january, and i'm struggling to get started...

if i had functional internet access from home, i would be sharing you pretty pictures of my christmas tree, but as it is, you're stuck with just a bunch of rambling.

i really have no terribly exciting news to report... did a bunch of shopping and errand-running this weekend, which went well, save for a minor nervous breakdown when i realized i had no idea what the heck i was doing in the golf aisle at G.I. Joe's. (thanks again, allie - you saved me from crying all over the stockboy!)

took matt out to the casino saturday night. we had such a great time. good food, a little roulette and slots. i love penny slots! no winnings to speak of, but it was a fun date, even if it did require an hour's driving time! sunday, we had some new friends over from church to watch the game. i love the seahawks and all, but i really would like a bit more drama in our games. if we just keep kicking butts, i'm going to grow tired of the game. there's no fun in a 41-3 win, (or a 47-0 win!). as it was, we spent more time watching the cats rough-and-tumble their way through the house than we did with our eyes on the t.v. "oh look. the seahawks scored another touchdown. oh, hey!! is that pepperoni?!"

other than that, i'm having a blast finishing up a few of the christmas projects i'm working on. i'm particularly proud of one of the gifts i'm making, but as the recipient stalks my blog, pictures will have to wait until after christmas.

our cards are signed, envelopes are addressed (mostly) and they will be mailbound today. thank goodness. that's always a project i threaten to complete early, and end up leaving until the very, very last minute... i like doing them, but i never know what to write other than some cheesy Hallmark greeting...

that's it for me!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

the tree is up.

it's even decorated.

while there's evidence (more pine needles on the floor than i could shake a stick at) that the cats were climbing the tree prior to it's decoration, they have not yet brought it crashing down, nor can we see any indication that they have climbed it since being decorated.

there's a wreath hanging on my door.

gifts are wrapped, and under the tree, facing 16 days of culring-ribbon-torment by certain beasts of the feline variety.

and i'm beginning to stress out about the number of items to buy, things to bake, and functions to attend over the course of the next two and a half weeks.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.

want to hear a confession? i paper-code my gifts. we attend three family events that include gift exchanges. to make life easier as we pack up gifts to attend each event, i've taken to wrapping the presents for each event in a coordinating paper: one for the gifts with matt's family; one for the gifts with my mom's family; one for the gifts with my dad's family; one for other gifts that don't have a designated 'event' but will be given during the season. this way, we don't have to worry about getting gifts mixed up or dropped into the wrong bags. i love this system, even if it is a little anal!! :)

girl is crafty...

an interesting conversation arose on the boards today when a gal mentioned that her neighbor referred to her as 'crafty' and that she wasn't sure she liked it. she asked the rest of us how we felt about being called 'crafty'.

i was surprised to learn that many of my cohorts don't like the term at all. many of them see their scrapbooking as NOT a craft, but an art. i find that funny, because woodworking is both a craft and an art, and yet neither term is more offensive than the other. the word "craft" does not always imply elmer's glue, sequins and pipe-cleaners. the word "craft" means that it's a learned and practiced skill. the word "art" is almost a more hippy-ish term, as i see it. after all - anything can be called art, and i've seen some really questionable "art". to avoid being categorized along with felted dryer-lint murals and erotically-shaped ash trays, i'd rather be in the craft category.

so, after some consideration, this is my take on it:

i don't mind being called 'crafty' at all. to me, it insinuates that i'm creative and capable. i'd hate to be one without the other.

while scrapbooking is my main focus, and is indeed art to me, i do a LOT more. i decorate my home myself, i make my own stuff most of the time. i knit, i crochet. i bead, i sew. i make!

my best friend used to tease me because i'd see something i liked and instead of buying it, i'd say "i could make that." (she stopped teasing when she picked up this habit too!!)

i like that i can see something i love and make it my own. no knitted toilet paper covers here, but yeah, i'm crafty!!

mojo, oh mojo, where hast thou gone...eth?

it's missing. officially missing. i was feeling good saturday morning, accomplished a little, but nothing stellar. sunday morning totally sucked. totally.

it seems like the slightest bit of interest in HOF has made my mojo go running for the hills. i have all these great ideas in my head, and none of them look great on paper. suddenly, i've been scrapping 8 1/2x11 so long, and enjoying it so much, that i can't scrap 12x12 to save my life. i've now made two attempts at what should be the easiest HOF assignment for me, and the first attempt was only slightly better than the second attempt.

and there's a clock in my head that won't stop ticking. turn that thing off, darnit.

anyway... i volunteered for Choir of the Sound this weekend, a community choir i used to sing with, and with which my mom sings now. friday night, dress rehearsal, and saturday's first show, i spent learning the production - who solos when, where, who dances when, where, etc. at the second show, saturday night, i called the production for the video team - giving cues so they could have their cameras on the right people at the right time. that was fun - i got to wear a geeky headset and everything. i felt so ... legit. ;) sunday, one more show, i actually ran a camera. that was cool too. a different video company, and he was shorthanded for the weekend, so knowing that he had me available to call the show for him, he let me run one camera while he ran another. that was pretty cool too. both 'jobs' were a little stressful, but i really had a good time, and i liked it better than all the hassle of *being* on stage. (oh, and i got to wear jeans, instead of an evening gown or elf costume, etc) so, i'm now officially the COTS video girl. fun stuff, and a great excuse to spend the weekend with my mom.

it's snowing...

i'm feeling incredibly blessed today.

• i had a chance to get some things off my chest about an issue that's been bothering me. even though it's not resolved yet, i feel better just having gotten to talk to the offending individual.
  
• it's snowing. december 1st. snow. seattle. this never happens. {it's not sticking though.}
  
• my husband is so cute. i call him 'pumpkin' so about a week ago, he started calling me 'butternut'.
  
• it's december 1st.
  
• i get to have really great chinese food for lunch today.
  
• i get to plan really fun classes for a really great store.
  
• it's snowing.
  
• i get to program a really fun tool at work that i'm totally excited about, all in the name of practice.
  
• it's thursday - CSI night!
  
• three & a half weeks till Christmas!
  
• did i mention, it's snowing??