sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters...

"How do people make it through life without a sister?"

~Sara Corpening

Sunday

-this is what i see looking out of the sanctuary of my childhood church. gorgeous, huh?!-

VAN BRIGGLE POTTERY

(www.vanbriggle.com)

"Established in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1901 by Artus and Anne Van Briggle, the Van Briggle Art Pottery is the oldest continuously operating art pottery in the United States. Artus Van Briggle had a significant impact on the Art Nouveau movement in the United States, and his pottery is foundational to American Art Pottery. The Art Nouveau style favored by its founders continue to influence the pottery's designs.
Artus Van Briggle settled in Colorado Springs in 1899 after establishing himself as a notable artist with the Rookwood Pottery of Ohio. With Anne Louise (née Gregory), his newlywed wife, Artus began exploring the Art Nouveau style in their pottery creations, drawing awards and accolades from the American and European art communities. Although he was a talented painter who had displayed and won awards in Europe, from 1899 until his death Artus devoted himself almost exclusively to the craft and art of pottery. Van Briggle's Art Nouveau designs and distinctive matte glazes were awarded high honors from many prestigious sources, including the Paris Salon, the Saint Louis Exposition, the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, and the American Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Boston.

The Van Briggle Memorial Pottery - designed by Dutch architect, Nicholas Van den Arend - was opened in 1908, and stands today as an historic landmark noted for its architecture and use of ceramics in the facade." (www.wikepedia.com)

-this is the Van Briggle Memorial Pottery. it is now owned by CC (Colorado College) but it sits in the middle of Monument Valley Park-

-notice all the tile detailing on the brick exterior-

-Monument Valley Park is a long park with trails on both sides of a river. it runs right next to downtown and if you were to run/walk up one side and down the other it would be about 5 miles. there are all kinds of little 'feature' gardens along the way as well as sport fields, playgrounds and even a pool!-

-frozen lake with tons of geese/ducks. i told mom and pa that they're pretty as long as they stay away from me :D-

-"the vegetable gardener" in one of the 'feature' gardens-

-it's tradition to always go get Josh & John's ice cream after walking the park. people, i'm not kidding you...best ice cream you'll EVER have. now i don't love ice cream but i LOVE this ice cream. this is the original store...they make the delicousness right in the front window. it's in the middle of downtown.-

-there are two things i love about Josh & John's.

1)they always have 2 trivia questions that you can answer to get extra punches on your card-fascinating things you might need to know for jeopardy someday! today's questions were: "what is the only country to have a national dog? and what kind of dog is it?" (HOLLAND-pug)

"what food will NEVER spoil?" (honey)

...see?? don't you feel smarter already?!
2) if the outside temperature is below freezing (32 degrees), you get double punches on your card...you better believe the Wermel family TOTALLY took advantage of that growing up! ha.-

-another view from downtown. i love the cowboy statue in the foreground...Colorado Springs is the home of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.-

the Quad Squad

the quad squad or the fantastic four...these are the girls of old. i've known anna since 7th grade and sister has known melissa since high school. melissa lives in Illinois, i live in Seattle and the other two are in the Springs now. we didn't start getting together with the 4 of us until several years ago even though we've been 'lifelong' friends. one year, sister and i thought, "why don't we bring our two best friends together. i think they'd like each other-ha!" now it's tradition!

we had our annual reunion at the Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, right downtown-great food and DELICIOUS desserts!

-me, anna, sister, melissa-

-an and me-

-mel and sister-

home sweet home

today was purely fantastic. in every respect. i spent the whole day running around to my favorite parts of the Springs/surrounding mountains. it was 24 degrees and sunny. just right, if you ask me...
you'll see a lot of pictures of my mountain (Pikes Peak)...i'm a little obsessed and she was gorgeous today. ok, i'll take you on the tour...

-taken from cottonwood park-

-the big long mountain range defining the skyline-

-they're so majestic-
-Garden of the Gods (my favorite running place)-

-"The Kissing Camels"-

-snow blowing off the top-

-i went back to Manitou. i hadn't gotten my fill the day before-

-all the store fronts have different architecture and color schemes-

-notice the perfectly blue skies :D-

-so many things are built out of stone in CO-gorgeous application of local, natural materials-

-my favorite store...can you guess why?? ;)-

reason #1

reason #2-my heart is going pitter pat...

reason #3-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

-2nd favorite store-

-what more does a girl need?!-

-the center of town and the old arcade-

(notice the beautiful stone bridge)

-best salt water taffy you'll find 'round these parts-

-taken from downtown, thus the adorable light posts-

(notice the color spectrum of blues)

-this fountain makes music and shoots out water during the summer. i love the mosaic on the base.-

-caught red-handed with the camera in hand!-

a few more...

-making sure my brother stays in shape on his leave-'rucksack' training :D-

-GAMES!!!-

a few glimpses

-mom, sister and i wandering around manitou (my favorite mountain town)-
-this girl is my heart and soul. period. i don't know what i would do without her.-

-brother and sister headed out for a 'high altitude' run-

Ezra

so i know some people in a band...

it's called The Republic...

they're really good...

and along with several others, i got to sing backup for a song on their soon-to-be-released new album!!

click HERE to hear the 'early released' song, "Ezra".

best welcome home, ever!

i made it into denver on tuesday night, as scheduled. Praise the Lord. i came up the escalators at DIA to the 'reception' location for friends and family not knowing if brother and sister were going to do the 'drive by' pick up or the 'park and come in' pickup. so i'm casually scanning the crowd for familiar faces. didn't have to look very far to see this!! it was the best thing i could have imagined and it made me stop dead in my tracks and just start laughing. LOVE THEM SO MUCH and so glad to be here!!

-at latvian church for Christmas Eve service-

i made it! more to come...

Serendipity

got this from my mom. love her. loved this. i think we can all gain a bit of wisdom from this message. regardless of where you are in life.

"Seren-dip-ity- the dip of the serene into the common responsibilities of life. Serendipity occurs when something beartiful breaks into the monotonous and the mundane. A serendipitous life is marked by "surprisability" and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life's ruts. We expect little, and we're seldom dissapointed. Though I have walked with God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. but this much I know: He delights in surprising us. He dots our pilgrimage from earth to heaven with amazing serendipities...Your situation may be as hot and barren as a desert or a forlorn and meaningless as a wasteland, You may be tempted to think, 'There's not way!' when someone suggest things could change. ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU... BE ON THE LOOKOUT. GOD MAY VERY WELL BE PLANNING A SERENDIPITY IN YOUR LIFE." (Charles Swindoll)

p.s. my serendipity at the moment is BLUE SKIES AND SUNSHINE. i prayed just minutes ago that the Lord would breathe hot air on the NW so that i could fly home for Christmas-ha...when i looked up, the dark sky was receding very quickly to this warmth that is pouring in my window at this moment. icicles are rapidly melting. the snow is sparkling and gorgeous and i'm praying for it all to go away. i'll enjoy it while it goes away but it needs to go away :)

stuck

well, folks. you're stuck with me.
i'm snowed in and all flights are cancelled today.
the good news is that my actual flight is tuesday night.
the sun is out and patches of blue sky are to be seen. icicles are melting.
i'm hoping this break will last until tomorrow night. they're saying it should be dry until tuesday night...oh, please keep praying.
i really want to be home for Christmas!!

in the meantime, i hope you don't get tired of me blogging. that's all i can do! i'm stuck. ha.
love you all. so much.

a walk in the snow

my favorite shot

mighty mouse-found him in the park :)

i love the curvy branches

this makes me think i'm out in the country-love it!

not sure if i love this shot...kinda dark but i love the rustic birdhouse

ha. what??

snow pictures

we got 12" of snow!! it's so beautiful here :D below are a couple views from around my house, enjoy!

-some passerby had a little fun-

-the gorgeous house across the street-
-neighbor's house and lovely bushes-

-snowy, quiet street-

-beauty in the snow-

-my front porch, with our cedar garland, and wreath-

forecast

this is the forecast for seattle over the next week:
Sunday: snow (6-12")
Monday: patchy snow showers
Tuesday: patchy snow showers
Wednesday: snow
Thursday: snow
Friday: snow
Saturday: snow

not kidding....
this is totally unreal. i can't believe it.
i love it. it's a total winter wonderland up here.

BUT i want it to go away so i can fly home.
PLEASE PRAY THAT I CAN GET HOME SAFELY TO colorado FOR CHRISTMAS!!

"i have far more trouble with the things i do understand in the Bible than the things i don't understand."

-Mark Twain-

last one

it's the last $10 friday.
the campaign officially runs until Dec 31st but today is the last $10 friday.
click HERE to donate...remember to scroll down for the RED DONATE button.
click HERE to be inspired by some of the amazing efforts from around the nation....i had goosebumps and was tearing it.
it's beautiful.
it's clean water.
and that's the best Christmas i could ask for.

p.s. our new total after the benefit concert in Iowa and before all the donations from the stories is....$40,000!!!! praise God for the way He has moved hearts and lives all over the world.

Seattle Snow

-doesn't the subie look look good in snow?? :)

-Sandel Park-

MY CHRISTMAS TREE!!

(the star at the top is my favorite!)

"When it snows, you either have the choice to shovel or make snow angels."

-unknown-

snow, again!!

it's snowing.

for the second time this week.

i can't get enough of it.

perfect little flakes are falling out of the sky.

tree branches are inbetween 'dusted' and 'heavy laden'.

my eyes bounce from rooftop to rooftop-white and perfect beneath billows of smoke rising from each chimney.

'crunch' go the footsteps of passers-by outside.

steaming mug in my hands.

it is perfect.

----------------------------------------------

i found this image on the Getty Images website while browsing for a client. i loved it. maybe you will too. (this isn't just random...it's what's in my steaming mug... :D)

epiphanies

i'm bundled up beneath a quilt my mom made me. it's 7:05pm, the house is quiet, candles are lit, Christmas tree lights are twinkling, an OU sweatshirt and sheepskin slippers are keeping me warm along with a steaming mug of 'bedtime' tea. i just popped a couple nyquil, and i have a movie on, just waiting to doze off into a happy slumber.
my right nostril is totally plugged. there's pressure in my sinuses and my nose is starting to get that endearing tinge of red that accompanies almost constant blowing. thank goodness vacation is around the corner...
i think my overtime at work is catching up to me. midnight doesn't jive so well for a bed time, especially after staring at a screen, and making acute clicking motions with my right arm for 14 hours. bleh.

i had 2 epiphanies today while i was sitting in a 7 hour meeting (that was supposed to last 2 hours-ha.). they came during the post-lunch "sleep with your eyes open" phase of the day :)

1) these people FINALLY get our furniture. finally. we have spent so many energy-sucking meetings with these folks who simply cannot figure out what a desk with storage above it looks like. it's really quite astounding. i know it seems simple to me because it's my job. of course, i get it...BUT i think that today the light finally went on in their heads :) that is one of my favorite things about my job...seeing the 'eureka' light go on. HOORAY!!

2) the designer from L.A. flew up for this meeting which was intimidating, frustrating, and absolutely confirming.

• intimidating because she is very experienced and works for a huge firm...i'm just a peon space planner who didn't actually get the addendum to the construction documents from the architect. that made me look like an idiot, which is always a great feeling.
• frustrating because there's been a lot of decisions made by some of the key players on the user end that weren't communicated to the designer so the whole first half of the meeting was our side (furniture) defending our design to her and vice versa because she hadn't been informed AT ALL about the changes by the appropriate person. i love it when the middle man doesn't do his job at communicating.
• absolutely confirming because i sat there about 6 hours into this meeting and realized that i'm 1000% certain that i don't ever want to be a 'traditional A&D designer'. nope. i don't want to hand-hold that much. it felt so excruciating today and in so many of these other meetings where you seriously run out of creative ways to explain something to people. i don't want to number-crunch spreadsheets and timelines and have a $55million budget to be responsible for. i don't want to deal with architects cutting back on the 'soft costs' of F.F.&E.(a measely $2million portion of the $55million project). and most of all, i don't want to put in 14 hour days consistently, which is what most designers do. nope. i don't love it that much. i'm perfectly happy to settle for helping out friends and family; and if i get lucky someday in life, maybe i'll go back to my old stomping ground, pottery barn, and help housewives beautify their homes with affordable and creative solutions. it was very rewarding to finally check 'full blown designer' off the potential career list.

ok, i have to go because my eyes are getting droopy and my nose is running again.
this is nothing significant about this post, now that i read over it again, but thanks for listening.
i do love it when epiphanies about life-direction come along...stay tuned...i'm certain more are on their way :)

"He smiles on us because of His Son's death and resurrection. It's Grace, my friend, Amazing Grace."

Chuck Swindoll

W4C Ornaments

looks like they have another batch of ornaments if you wanted to buy some! go fast...

HERE

what comes after 3??

4!!!!!!!!!!!
that's the number of wells we've drilled so far.
there's a HUGE benefit concert going on in IA tonight for it which will likely bring in quite a bit more.
we're makin' a dent.
actually, it way more than a dent.
who are we kidding?
4 ENTIRE VILLAGES (and possibly more) will have clean H2O for life!
that's generations and generations of healthy, living, beautiful Liberians.
wow, the impact of that is hard to fathom right now.
i am blown away, folks.
seriously??
$20,000 in the last 6 weeks...
that's amazing.
you're amazing.
our God is amazing.

AND....

it's ain't over 'til the fat lady sings...or Christmas...whatever...we still have time...

it's gonna turn into a flood really soon. i can feel it. even though we're getting close to wrapping up, i think we're on the brink of an extraordinary finale. hold your breath. oh wait, don't because then you can't tell more people about it :)...stay tuned.

Jingle Bell Run

this is my 4th time doing this race in the last 5 years. i came as the 'coat/bag carrier' for 1 year in there...it is by far one of the most fun road races to be a part of every year. so many costumes, smack in the middle of downtown seattle, right next to the big lighted Macy's Christmas star and the big tree. it was chilly chilly chilly. we had 45 people registered to come and i think over 30 actually followed through and did it-i was impressed! (i, too, thought about bagging out this morning when i woke up to the frigid situation...but i'm so glad i did it!)

-some of the gals who rode in my car (ana, kristi, emily)-

-every year with this girl. she's one of my favorite people, for so many reasons. (megan)-
-proof that i actually ran the whole thing-

when i crossed the finish line, with jello legs and heaving lungs (from sprinting the last 75 yards or so) the announcer came on to say "folks, it's 28 degrees out here right now." BRRRRR.... totally worth it! AND there was a warm breakfast waiting for us back at church when we finished...can't ask for much more than that!

p.s. my sister ran this exact race this morning in denver :D

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!!

it has been absolutely perfect here the last 24 hours. snowing HUGE wet beautiful flakes. and i couldn't be happier :D it officially feels like Chrismas season now. i am giddy.

i took these last night around 12:30am at the tree stand that laura and i got our tree from (which, by the way, we walked 4 blocks in the rain to get our tree and walked it home with cedar garlands and holly branches draped over it...i was so proud. it crossed my mind to do it that way, figuring why should we drive?? not worth the gas or emissions...; and when i excitedly presented the idea to laura, just before we left, she was a good sport, as usual, about it even though it would have been faster and easier to drive. thanks, laura!)

on the way back, i was belting out "here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green.." loudly, and laura left me to sing a solo-ha, can't imagine why!

i couldn't decide which 'editing' i liked better...i think the top one because you can see the flakes....opinions??

Annual Christmas Party!

L to R: Maren, Aleah, Liz
L to R: Catlyn, Afton, me

this group of girls...i love them! we get together fairly regularly throughout the year and we always have our annual Christmas party-it was last weekend!

1 soon-to-be-mom!!

she has a beautiful baby BOY in that tummy!! :D

PCEC Christmas Party

Our Post College-Early Career Leadership Group had our Christmas party this past weekend. the Gregory's were wonderful hosts (Debbie always tries out new recipes on us and they always turn out well!); much fun was had and there was even a white elephant gift exchange. we played a version of it where you have 30 seconds after you open your gift to switch it...but as many switches as possible can happen in that 30 seconds. not just yours! needless to say, we didn't break any glass coffee tables or get any black eyes BUT i did get the best present ever (a LASER LEVEL!!) and it was promptly stolen from me :( -there's always next year!

-heather and i; this was the beginning of my play-doh creation-

-brian's awesome 'costume box' addition-ha!-
-megan, our 'friend guest' elijah, and jess-

-heather, wolt and laura working on the velvet fuzzy, coloring project-

-so sick and awesome all at the same time-

-my artistic dawdlings-

-my nest was full of eggs, a dove, and a baby albino penguin (contributed by elijah)-

-close up shot of the albino penguin...betcha never seen one 'o them before, huh?-

-the gang, minus a few that couldn't be there-

-they asked us to do a sorority pose; none of us really knew what that was; and this was the result-HA!! i have no idea what i'm doing...-

FRIDAY. H2O. 10 BUCKS.

a blog reader tipped me off to this website Advent Conspiracy. they are also interested in H2O.they are also drilling in Liberia. they had a compelling video i wanted to share. i think this is a really creative way to communicate the message we've been trying to get across for our own campaign. there seems to be a lot of debate between whether it would cost $10billion or $144billion to give the whole world clean water. this video speaks to $10billion. we still believe it's $144 billion but that's not the point. just watch it be moved.



Don't forget that we are only 2 friday's away from Christmas!
the time to act is NOW.
$10.
today.
between all of us, we definitely know 3,400 people.
tell a friend. coworker. family member. stranger. whoever.
let's come together. if we all do a little, it becomes a big dent in the issue. a really big dent.
picture a dam. let's chip a whole in that wall. one little hole, which is so doable, brings forth an abundant response.
CLEAN WATER!!!

H2O update

well, folks-3 wells...that's what we've drilled so far-$16,000. that is incredible and we still have 2 weeks until Christmas.
i got word of this, this morning. take a look at what's going on in Liberia. it's devastating. please please please let this urge your heart to respond if you haven't already.

from jody:
""Brandi left a comment this morning bringing to my attention that the Mercy Ships are pulling away from Liberia this week. Leaving a country with 3 million people with 30 doctors.
I spent the first hour of my morning scouring the internet for more information on health care in Liberia.
30 doctors for 3 million people. ( I do believe we have more than that in Muscatine,IA-[where she (jody) lives])
And let us consider the urgency and magnitude of Water in light of this.
80% of all illness and disease is due to the lack of clean water.
80%.
If ever there was a time to move fast and furiously to get clean water to the people of Liberia, it is now.
If there ever was a time to give generously, it’s now.
If ever a time to allow Water to permeate your heart and mind, it’s now.
I was overcome this morning with a sense of urgency and resolve.
For three villages so far, we can eradicate 80% of their sickness and disease.
Do you get that?
We can do something.
It seriously makes me weak sometimes.
Our abilities to DO something.
And how much I want people to GET it.
This is Water. This is Life.
Someone said, “” I do not know what it will take for America to move from Apathy, to Sympathy, to Empathy, to Action in the crisis here in Africa”
Oh God, let it be now.
Let us move to action today.""

can you imagine what a Christmas gift that would be if you lived there? to know that people from all over the world have given you a voice when you had none? to know that people from all over the world who, for the most part don't ever have to think about where their next glass of water is coming from, decided that it was time to pay attention to those quiety dying every day...SIMPLY BECAUSE OF WATER. any choice they make in regards to water bring death. if that doesn't make you shiver, i don't know what will.
please think about it.
be moved for those who cannot help themselves in any way regarding this.
be moved at how much you can help them in regards to H2O.
life, people. it's LIFE.

our new goal before Christmas is $50,000. that's clean water for 10 villages. we're already $16,000 on the way. which is huge but we still have $34,000 to go. i sincerely think it's possible. i really do.

here's some # that jody calculated to put it into perspective:
3,400 people give $10
340 people give $100
34 people give $1000

we can do this. as Nike says, JUST DO IT!

Christmas Decor-part 1

-UVillage is a big outdoor shopping center in town and they always do the BEST job lighting the trees and buildings of the complex-

-the cross in the sanctuary of my church-
-first ornament on the tree-

-this picture of laura, nicole and i was taken on the ferry just after leaving the White Cliffs of Dover(England). we were on our way to Paris. we had no idea what awaited in the next 12 hours and it was the craziest travel story of the entire trip; but i still think this is one of my favorite pictures from that adventure. there's something about being wind-whipped on the open sea (ok, the English Channel). oh, and ferry's are quite swooney, too. i've fallen in love with them since being out here on the coast.-

-candlelight does wonders for the soul-

-vignette scene. by the way, that candle smells so good; i wish you all had one :D-

more to come...

Christmas Music, Musings, & Confessions

i've been downloading and listening to Christmas music, almost obssessively lately; sunday night, i got Josh Groban's Christmas CD-i think it's actually from last year or two years ago but come on, it's Josh Groban...as soon as you hear his voice, you picture yourself floating lightly on clouds with cherubic angels playing harps all around you, am i right??!!

anyway, i had my headphones in at work today because it was really stressful trying to get through a few meetings/deadlines; i have a new resolve to work on the mental discipline of not 'getting lost in the stress', as i like to call it. cheerful Christmas music is a good distraction that reminds me that the world is still turning even if it doesn't feel like it at that moment.

despite having a million details for each work project to keep track of and pay attention to, the music sorta let's the unused parts of my brain float into the 'contemplation zone'-ha. that sounds stupid and i can't really think of a better way to describe it but it's kinda like the music 'saves' the rest of my brain, and therefore my whole being at that moment, from being sucked into square-footage calculations, circuit loads, and rotating task chairs. believe me, those words sound big and fancy but it's really not all that glamorous.

this past year, i have learned so much about God; His heart for us; what He is not, that i have long-perceived Him to be; the kind of life He desires us to live and the posture that we are called to live it in (thoughts, attitudes, words that come out of our mouths, etc).

i've also learned much about our responsibility in how we react to things; and most importantly, what we choose to dwell on. it's so easy to get wrapped up in something going wrong, or in the stress of a deadline, or the frantic, scatterbrained coworkers/clients interrupting and calling every hour of the day, or how our expectations get dashed by a big dose of reality-whether that's the result of our own failures or others. and this doesn't apply to just work. it applies to friendships, relationships, encounters with strangers and even our relationship with God.

we all know that people, in general, don't always do exactly what we want/expect them too, right?! i know, it's annoying, but it's reality. i suppose the flip side of that is that i don't always do what others expect me to either-gut check! we're all human so we're gonna bite it regularly. and sometimes, we bite it really hard. none of us ever get through the day with an A+; why are we so quickly prone to expect that out of others??

i'm not proud of this but for a long time now, 12 months to be exact (you do the math...), i have felt as though i'm 'waiting for my real life to begin'. i have woken up with the attitude of 'just get through the day, or week, or month until 5pm, the weekend or the next vacation.' almost bulldozing my way through hoping i come out on the otherside with some remnant of myself and my sanity in hand. and although this is changing, which i'll talk about more in a minute, i must confess that i woke up this very morning and thought, "ok, i can totally fake this for the next two weeks just to get to Christmas." ACK. my resolve to reform my thinking clearly hasn't totally permeated yet reminding me that anything producing lasting change takes work. rarely do the attitudes of our hearts and thought patterns change overnight. it's most definitely worth the effort but it's gonna take a little dedication. we really have to believe in the change to see the fruition of it.

about a month ago, i was sitting in my room thinking deeply about life (surprise, surprise) and tears started pouring down my cheeks. as much as i wanted to say that it was because work had been hard that day, or some friendships had been challenging me recently, or that i was frustrated with ministry, or that i missed my family-it wasn't that. i instantly knew why my chin was dripping. and it was piercing my heart to the very deepest part.

yet almost immediately after the piercing, sweet nothings began pouring into my heart.

truth about the blessed life i've been given.

truth about the AMAZING community i am surrounded with and supported by.

truth about my own failures and shortcomings.

truth about promises of abundance in Christ should i choose to engage.

truth about the fact that 'going to the trenches' is sometimes part of the story.

truth about the fact that i have a job even though the economy is terrible and i don't love it.

truth about the big, huge, beautiful world and what it is; it's just that-a big, huge, beautiful world. it's not perfect but then who am i kidding?! perfection is not mutually exclusive to beauty and yet i am so quick to marry those two in my own life. it seems to me that the richest displays of beauty rise from the ashes. from the places where you absolutely know you are in no way able to take credit for it. that is true beauty. that is the hand of our Savior.

my real life is NOW. it's passing me by, every day. whether i chose to participate is my choice. it's not perfect. but then again, i'm not either. it always seems more fulfilling in the next stage (new job, marriage, kids, retirement, etc). but what am i missing today? and honestly, the next stage won't be fulfilling unless you put in the sweat, blood and tears in this one. that's what makes us ready for the next stage. that's what prepares us to absorb what awaits. that's where we learn the nuances of the Lord's heart that will sustain us through the trials to come. without the 'now' we simply are incapable of being present for the 'later'. it's impossible.

so, all that being said, i had listened to a few songs before "i'll be home for Christmas" came up on the playlist. but this wasn't just the standard version-there were snippets, of soldiers' greetings to their families from stations of service all over the world, playing during all the pauses in the song. i had been feeling grumpy about some of my tasks at work and as soon as that song came on, i melted. my heart had to repent again for getting so lost in my own world. one that those brave, dedicated and honorable men and women fight to defend. who am i kidding? i get to be home with my family for Christmas and they're in the middle of the desert...one woman came on to wish her daughter, who was turning 4 around Christmas time, a merry Christmas. saying that she was going to miss all the excited expressions on her face as she opened gifts...i cannot even imagine being away from my child at Christmas time, and i don't even have any children!! my heart broke. tears were welling up and then i remembered i was at work, so i blinked rapidly to discretely dispel them before they cascaded down.

i mention this for two reasons: 1) remember to say a prayer for all those soldiers that are away from their families because they are serving us & 2) think about what's causing your own heart to 'trip up' this Christmas season...it seems that this time of year we all hit a point of being tired. tired from life, work, whatever. it's like the inevitable rhythm of things.

of course, the Christmas excitement is there (you'd be crazy to deny it) but deeper than that things are simmering in our hearts; some beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring things and if we're honest, there's also some ugly, resentful, embittering and ungrateful things rolling around too. bleh. we don't like to deal with them and Christmas cheer is the perfect way to cover it all up, but when we decide to dig in, ruminate, and let our souls withstand a good scrubbing-we will understand SO significantly why Christmas and Christmas cheer are such a big deal. it's such a big deal: a little baby, God in the flesh, walked on this earth because of a love, so consuming and so so tender. that, my friends, is such a big deal.

Christmas Questions

my friend hannah, tagged me to be one of the next few to fill this out. it's some fun Christmas trivia, so here we go...

(Breckenridge, CO)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? definitely wrapping paper! i love coordinating the bows and gift tags and sometimes i tie mini ornaments inside the bows. i think i'm going to use brown parcel paper this year though. a rustic Christmas that's environmentally responsible!

2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL, REAL, REAL. having grown up in CO, i just can't do a fake tree. nope. there's no way.

3. When do you put up the tree? well, whenever we buy it. i think Laura and i are getting it today! (beginning of Dec is ideal in my mind)

4. When do you take the tree down? New Years Day

5. Do you like eggnog? straight-up:in quantities of about a 'shot'. if it's mixed with some sprite or something to 'lighten it up'...then i can probably have a whole glass.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? oh boy...i remember loving Christmas but there's not a single gift that really sticks out. i'll get back to you on that one...

7. Hardest person to buy for? Sister

8. Easiest person to buy for? Pa

9. Do you have a nativity scene? no, although i enjoy gazing at my mom's every year when i'm home.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, for sure. now that email is so prevalent, there's nothing so exciting as opening a real envelope in anticipation of the creative cards inside :)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? hmmm.....

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? WHITE CHRISTMAS!!

13. i don't know what happened to this question but apparently there was none suitable to be accompanied by the #13...hannah??

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? does white elephant count??!! and i don't normally do it but if i'm desperate, i make sure the folks getting the 'recycled' one, in no way, run through the same circles as the person who gave me the gift...you can never be too safe ;)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY-love love love it!

16. Lights on the tree? yes, and the more intricately put on, the more beautiful.

17. Favorite Christmas song? SILLY: Santa Baby & Baby, It's Cold Outside SERIOUS: What Child is This? & Silent Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? travel to see the fam in CO :D

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yup, can you??

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? definitely a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? both. Dad's side/'secret santa' on Christmas Eve; Mom's side/immediate family gifts on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? that i have to work. i seriously miss the 'month off' you always got in school...no, seriously; i miss it. nobody needs commercial contract furniture this time of year, right??!! [the correct answer to that question would be a resounding NO!! :)]

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? oooo, i love questions about color. it changes every year for me. i always love wandering through stores to see what combinations are hot; this year i've been seeing a lot of green, silver and white with eggplant and crimson accents. PRETTY!! (eggplant is not used nearly enough in my opinion. think about it: it's the perfect neutral that's not neutral. it goes with warm, cool, bright and muted colors. it's a deliciously rich and deep color that only brings out the nuances of the colors around it. and it's not ostentatious. it's quintessential understated elegance. ok, i'm done but just because you don't love the food, don't discredit the color!! ;))

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? we do the Thanksgiving meal all over again...it's delightful.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Clean H2O for people. a down comforter (because i LOVE them) and some fun socks. striped, polka dots, whatever. both colorful and neutral. regular and wool ones for camping and those chilly mornings shuffling around the house...hmmm i'm getting nostalgic and cozy the more i talk about it...

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? i never guess that correctly, so i'm not gonna guess-take that!

27. Does Santa wrap your gift or leave them unwrapped? never have believed in Santa, so i would venture to say 'neither' on this one...but whoever brings the gifts ;), wraps them!

i'm tagging Nicole & Anna...GO!

It's Friday, Hallelujah!!

my friend's and i used to sing this little song while we were in school and it went something like this: "it's friday, hallelujah"; we would sing it loud and proud and repeat that phrase a bunch of times...mostly, because weekends rock. who doesn't love not going to school or work??
i sing it to myself every week because i'm done with another week and have a few days to relax...ha.
today i sing it because its another opportunity to participate in the bigger story. it's an opportunity to be a part of change. it's an opportunity to make a BIG DEAL difference in the lives of those who so desperately need it. will you sing it with me??

$10.
today.
motivated out of love.
LET'S DRILL WELLS!!
go HERE

[Note: Hallelujah is transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning 'praise'. take today to praise the Lord that we have the privilege of participating in something that is, indeed, changing this world; not only through H2O but also through each of our changed hearts that are responding. HALLELUJAH.]

Christmas 'things'

I had intended to do a daily post on my favorite things about Christmas starting on December 1st but it’s December 4th already. Arg. It’s been busy up here lately!
BUT better late than never, right?!
So for today: it’s perfectly sunny and there are expansive, crisp, blue skies.

My favorite thing about Christmas in CO growing up was that the sun was shining every day despite the cold temperatures and snow.

I’m blessed to get a taste of that this year, here in the beautiful Pac NW :)
~I hope you have sunshine wherever you are today~