My Dad has caught the Christmas Fever

A friend showed us this website tonight and its really fun...I couldn't think of anyone better than my dad to make an elf...its hilarious! Enjoy..if you're interested in making your own family members into elves, its www.elfyourself.com

To see my dad as an elf, click the link below....
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9631095701

Thankfulness...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, as I'm sure you know the pictures are of Will and Lora serving at our church's Thanksgiving lunch...I love Thanksgiving. I think I like it as much, if not more than Christmas. Christmas tends to stress me out more, the gift giving boggles my mind and always leaves me feeling like I picked all the wrong presents...Thanksgiving is all about good food, family, relaxing...the cooking can be stressful, but nothing else is.

This year, we are staying home. We typically have gone to the Oregon Coast with my in-laws but aren't this year. We're having Mark's parents and our friends Nooshin and Paya over for lunch. I'm really excited because my friend Nooshin is from Iran and I don't think she's ever experienced a traditional American Thanksgiving. My husband would love for us to deep fry the turkey but this year, I'm going to brine it over night and then use Emeril Legasse's recipe which includes basting ever 20 minutes or whatever...I'm breaking out on my own - and it may be a flop, but we'll see.

I'm thankful for so many things this year...my family which includes great parents who have loved and supported me always, a terrific brother, sister-in-law, three nephews and one niece - who we will be visiting at Christmas...wonderful parents in-law who don't fit any of the negative in-law stereotypes...an incredible husband who loves me just how I am...a son who is bright and funny and expresses his love freely...a daughter who amazes me every day as she reminds me that she is so much more than a diagnosis...Great friends who are like family...A fun and challenging place to minister...A perfect home, neighborhood and schools for my kids...and a God who loves me unconditionally and challenges me to love others the same way. Life is good and I am thankful....

Weekend Away

Mark and I had a weekend away this past weekend...it was our first time away alone since before Lora was born, so about 4 years. We went to Victoria and we had a really fun time. We stayed in a hotel, went to fun places to eat, walked around the whole city, drank coffee and looked at books in a bookstore and we went to a movie...all without the kids.

It was nice to step on the ferry at Port Angeles and realize that I didn't have to entertain or "watch" anyone...I could just sit there and look out the window or close my eyes and take a rest...it was really nice.

On the way over, Mark bought me a book at the Ferry gift shop. Its called "Eat, Pray, Love", and I'm really loving it...I will write more about it later.

But, on Friday night, we went to the movies. I read a review of a movie weeks ago called "Lars and the Real Girl"...I talked Mark into seeing it and it was so good. It was one of those quirky, funny, touching movies that I love so much. Its about a painfully shy guy who has trouble relating even to his own family..he has some tragic circumstances in his past that contribute to this. He can barely even talk to other people...Its very strange, but he ends up ordering a life-sized fake woman from the internet and he begins introducing her to everyone as his new girlfriend named Bianca. Now, I know what you're thinking, but this movie does not go to the 8th grade boy humor that might normally go along with a "blow-up" or fake woman in most movies.

It was just the sweetest story about how his family and the whole town begin accepting him and his delusion that his girlfriend is real. Part of it is helped along by a doctor in town who encourages people to go with him in order to help him...In fact, they go so far as to elect Bianca to the school board. With Bianca by his side, Lars is able to talk to other people and relate on a level he previously was unable to...and eventually he realizes that he doesn't need her and he's able to begin a relationship with a "real girl"...

I loved it, especially the way his family and town were portrayed, the love that they showed to Lars...I highly recommend this sweet story to anyone...yes, it was a little weird but so great.

All in all we had a really fun weekend away and I'm so grateful to the village who helped us with our children and our church who sent us and paid our way...thanks to all!

What was I thinking?

What is it about Co-op Preschool that sends me right back to Jr High? It seems like so often in my dealings with my fellow co-op parents I return to my former insecurities. A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege or should I say drudgery of attending our All School Board Meeting, this is where all three classes that meet at our site get together. I was chosen to be the secretary for this meeting, since I'm my classes secretary and each of us has to rotate in on an All School meeting...it was my turn.

I was already put off because the person in charge of this meeting sent us a 5 page agenda - well it seemed like 5 pages...it was very thorough, let's just put it that way. So, I was dreading the meeting and it lived up to all of my dread. It was long, seemingly very serious and extremely tedious. I don't enjoy taking notes for meetings such as this - these type of meetings and my personality do not mix. I like to crack jokes - which my own board has gotten used to, but this was a new group and I don't know that they apreciated my sense of humor - although the guy next to me did get my "Assistant to the Regional Treasurer" comment. Anyway, we did so much discussing that it was really difficult to know what was pertinent enough to make the minutes and what should be left out, etc. But I feel that I hit all the important points and only one actual motion was made during the whole meeting.

So, I sent out my minutes earlier this week and I got e-mail from the organizer of the meeting saying that she thinks she must not have gotten all of the pages as she only got approx. 1.5 pages, etc...I thought maybe the document didn't e-mail correctly, so I resent it to both her and myself and checked the document and all looked correct to me...so, I get ANOTHER e-mail (which was the 5th one in one day) asking me to print them out and give them to her because she "can't possibly be getting all my minutes". So, I automatically go to the insecure place of - what did I do wrong? Did I not take the minutes correctly? Instead of the healthier - What is her problem? What did she expect? Or the even healthier - Who cares? Its only Preschool? I stress about this all afternoon, wondering what I might have missed at the meeting, wasting precious energy that could have been used in more productive ways...

I swear I must ask myself multiple times a week.."What was I thinking?" and "Am I the only one who sends my kids to Co-op because its the only preschool we can afford?"

Fun Was Had By All - Happy Halloween

I love Halloween...I've always loved Halloween. I'm sure it has something to do with all the candy. I loved dressing up, getting my pumpkin shaped carrier and heading out for a night of Trick or Treating. I think its a great night and I don't really understand the problem that some people have with it. I think it becomes whatever you make it...I have a friend who moved from Kirkland over to the Eastern side of the mountains a few years ago and she was always a big Halloween celebrator. Even though her husband was on staff at a church and they always had the obligatory "Harvest Party", my friend would decorate her house - not really scary or anything - just the normal pumpkins, cobwebs, etc. She let her kids go Trick or Treating, just the normal stuff.

When she moved to a smaller town, Fall came and she started her normal decorating, etc. Her husband is now the pastor of a church...anyway, some of her friends came to her and said..."We don't really celebrate Halloween here, we turn our porch lights off and don't participate." I loved my friends response....she very kindly said, "I've always thought, what other night of the year are my neighbors knocking on my door? And if that's the case, why wouldn't I let them in?"

Of course I'm paraphrasing and retelling the story how I remember it, but I thought of that last night as we were out Trick or Treating...Will was really into it and we got pretty far into the neighborhood. But there were big groups of kids with parents all out walking around knocking on each other's doors. We knocked on a few doors, and were surprised by which neighbors live in which house...Will ran into friends from kindergarten and I was able to meet their parents or say Hi to those I already know. Some invited us to join them in their quest for candy. I loved it.

I especially loved Will's enthusiasm and how he would greet his friends and chat with them about how much candy he had collected. I loved how he would ask at houses if he could get an extra piece of candy for his sister who was in her stroller not feeling well, and he would actually give the extra to her. I loved how he wasn't scared of any of the skeletons or ghosts or homeowners who answered their door in masks - he knew it was all pretend...but, mostly, I loved the feeling of community - it was a beautiful night and fun was had by all....