Thursday, December 21, 2006

probably my last post of the Christmas season...

...and blog lesson #812 learned: never promise a series of posts you can't deliver on...sorry to anybody who was following along!

But hey, it was a good thought and a decent try. Maybe I'll try again (and do better) next year.

In the meantime, here are some beautiful images I found...take a deep breath, clear your mind of the hustle and bustle and stress, and just take in the joy of that Christmas night so long ago...






"...and man shall live forevermore, because of Christmas Day." Peace and goodwill to you all! Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 16, 2006

If you didn't know...

I have a thing for the British royals. Not just the current ones -- Queen Elizabeth I is probably in my top 5 heroes of all time! Anyhoo, I read this article this morning on People, then was so curious to see more pictures I went to BBC News and found this adorable shot. Of course, Prince William is not supposed to smile -- his ranks were being inspected by the Queen and then as never before you're supposed to have that British "stiff upper lip!" Apparently, though, the Queen said something funny to William and he couldn't help but smile at his grandma as she passed. How cute.

Oh, and this girlie, by the way, is William's girlfriend, Kate. I think that would have to be considered the catch of the century if she bags her prince in wedded union, which is what all the society papers in England are saying will happen!

Friday, December 15, 2006

This news item made me cry!

I don't know why, but there's something so markedly beautiful about this story to me. Maybe it's the fact that we are each so special and unique and our contribution to the world is just as special and unique, even if that contribution is saving some sick dolphins!

Days 12, 13, 14...

were pretty much a wash. Nothing pertaining to real Christmas merriment actually took place on these days. Have had rough week in most aspects of life: personally, professionally, spiritually, name it. Not complaining so much as reporting on absence of Christmas blogging joy. Although I do have to say that I did some shopping on Monday during my lunch hour and I am forced to ask, Do people suddenly forget the concept of "personal space" in malls and stores this time of year? I had like 5 people run into me with nary a word or gesture of apology. It was highly annoying. Made the outing rather a pain than a pleasantry.

Enough whining. Will revisit Christmas blogging joy when...well, when the joy comes back.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

And now for a break from our regularly scheduled Christmas

A - available/single - Nope. Old married lady.

B--Best Friend - Kate

C--Cake or Pie - Yes, please. For cake, I'll take yellow cake with rainbow chip frosting. Who knows why that combo is so delish??? For pie, my mom's pecan!

D--Drink of Choice - Let's put it this way. The waiter at the restaurant tonight offered me decaf coffee and I told him it was a cruel joke and could I have my NON-decaf with cream?

E--Essential item you use everyday - my bathtub. Maybe that one's too obvious. My laptop, certainly. Um, my Escape (I'm sorry, but there never was a vehicle more aptly named -- it's my getaway car!).

F--Favorite color - this has evolved over the years. My standard answer used to be "deep plum" but I think I've moved on. Um, let's go with brick red or harvest yellow for decorating, French blue for wearing, lavender for just plain looking at on any object, be it wall or sweater or whatever.

G--Gummy bears or Worms - Yes, please. Actually, I'm gonna go with worms on this one. More bang for the buck?

H--Hometown - Greenwood, but I also count Franklin (up the road from Greenwood and technically the geographical location of my birth at Johnson County Memorial Hospital).

I--Indulgence - oh goodness, do I have enough space here? Do y'all have enough time to read? I kind of live my life by this method: "Becky, you need to get 'x' done." "But Becky, I don't feel like it." "Well Becky, what if I promise to get you 'y'?" "Okay, Becky, I'll do it." Seriously. Anyone who thinks I'm kidding is kidding themselves. Hmmm...Starbucks drive-thru runs. Lemon poppyseed muffins. Shoes. Tights. Handbags. Shopping the clearance racks at Von Maur and nabbing "deals" (yeah right; let's face it, it's VON MAUR). Sleep. Then more sleep. Fresh flowers. Afternoons at Borders with Adam and spoiling each other with "prizes" from the shelves. Reading in bed. Sudoku for an hour straight. (Can you tell I don't have kids?) Long phone calls with long-distance friends. Weekend trips to see Kate. I could literally go on and on. This girl ain't really into denying herself much because she's learned to cheat and save on some things (home boxes of hair dye and highlights instead of $150 at the salon!) and because she knows it just ain't living without certain indulgences (er, coffee, duh).

J--January or February - what an oddball choice. I'm going with January, my birth month!

K--Kids - Not yet. My standard answer. God has given me/us the desire and until He takes it away, I fully expect kiddos to arrive, even if the stork drops 'em off.

L--Life is incomplete without... my husband. I never feel whole without him here with me. Come home soon, honey!

M--Marriage Date - July 10, 1999

N--Number of siblings - I have 2 - Sarah (older) and Katie (younger). Yes, I can see some of you nodding your heads, going yup, I KNEW she was a middle child!!!

O--oranges or apples - oranges if they're squished up and squeezed for fresh OJ. Apples for snacking and in pies and all that!

P--Phobias/Fear - Oh good heavens. And I thought I didn't have room for the Indulgences. Sheesh. Um...blood clots and spontaneous internal bleeding. That includes deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and stroke/brain hemorrhage. (if you didn't think I was weird before now...) Also, dying in a plane crash. Living through a plane crash. Crashing in a plane in general. Even moderate turbulence has been known to send me into panic (thank God for Xanax).

Q--Favorite Quote - Well, it's a verse, if that counts. I can't remember what Psalm it's from but, "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, O Lord, only makest me dwell in safety."

R--Reason to Smile - ooh, correspondence via snail-mail. Fresh cappuccino in a bistro mug. Snow on quiet mornings with nowhere to go. Seeing Adam after a period of absence from him. (seriously, it's only Day 3 of his mission trip. Get a grip, Becky.)

S--Season - Spring, spring, spring.

T--I tag...I dunno? Anybody want to send me their copy of this?

U--Unknown fact about myself - My life is an open blog, er, book. Hmm, let's see. I live and work in the greater Indianapolis area and have never seen the Indy 500 nor even been to the track. That's usually a shocker to most folks.

V--Vegetable you don't like - Those Southern field greens like okra. Ick.

W--Worst habit - Letting the laundry pile up.

X--x-ray - A few chest and back x-rays. (once to rule out a blood clot, which my doctor only wrote an order for to humor me and help me get past the fear...)

Y--Your favorite food - Mom's homemade bread and strawberry jam and big glass of cold milk.

Z--Zodiac - Capricorn. The ugly goat. Stupid goat. It's ugly and astrology is stupid.

Monday, December 11, 2006

On the 11th day of Christmas...

I packed my husband's suitcase to put him on a plane at oh-dark-thirty tomorrow morning bound for Guatemala.

Sadness shall ensue. Not feeling too Christmasey at the moment, even though I want him to go and fulfill the mission in his heart, a mission that I share. But, I'm still sad to put him on a plane and spend a week all by my lonesome. Should have looked into that whole "get a dog" thing. Dios te bendiga, mi amor!

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Days 9 and 10

Well, on the ninth day of Christmas I didn't have a second to spare because I was preparing for the tenth day of Christmas, on which I...

(co-)threw a bridal shower for my friend Emily!

Here's our Christmas bride, glowing like a string of lights on a tree! She is demonstrating her sampling from our "hot cocoa bar," which was nummy-yummy (just set up your mugs with cocoa mix in the mugs and provide bowls of marshmallows, candy canes, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, etc.).




















And here she is with her delightful mommy (that's not a hat on her head, that's just the top of my clock in the background!).















Dawn manning the hot cocoa bar...




















...another satisfied customer!




















the spread...




















happiness abounds! (could these captions get worse?)















I love this shot, I can't believe I got the profile of 5 people in one shot without even trying for it!




















more happiness...(seriously, party food shouldn't only appear at parties, it's too darn good)















Suzy, trying to humor me with a picture...




















sharing stories, hearing fun things about our dear friend.















passing on the tradition of showering our brides to the next generation...




















giggling like girls should.




















the beginning of the gifts, the season of spring. The shower's theme was sharing items from our favorite seasons with the bride.















gear for winter...




















linens for fall...




















playthings for summer!




















and a pretty for any season.















The Lord has blessed me abundantly...
















with beautiful, amazing, generous, warm, and kind friends.