It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Well we did it, we decided it was time to start looking like Christmas, even thought it is still November for a few more days. Even the pumpkins busted out the Christmas Spirit....


...and so did the Canadian moose...


Then I went to an "Elf" party, based on the movie. Here is Nice...

...and naughty. Saw a great shirt. It said "Dear Santa, let me explain..."...



Melissa and Ivy had the place all decked out. We had to walk through the candy cane forest and dress like an Elf. We ate the four food groups- candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup!



Mom picked out this years tree. It was an 8.5 footer. They only charged us for 7.5 feet though because the top foot was just the trunk and would be cut off. It is so big and heavy it is being held to the wall by string. I love the randomness of our decorations, makes me happy. Now it needs some presents underneath.

Both of these teams got embarrassed by the rivals this year, but we are not fair-weather fans and will stick by them! Hook'em Horns and Goooo Cougars...now come fall of 2011 this house might be a bit divided...

Those paper decorations were made by my parents when they first got married. They are old and "ugly" as mom said, but 30 years later they still find a place on the tree!

And the Christmas decorations would not be complete without mom's nativity scenes. They come from all over the world.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts...

I thought I would follow up on my last post, "Surviving Disappointment". Item #13 refers to learn to express love regardless of how I felt. Well, at the time I wrote it I knew it needed to be on the list, but I didn't know how to do it.

Last Sunday after being miserable for two weeks, I decided that enough was enough. I needed to figure out how to move forward. The answer is and always will be LOVE. I was re-reading some notes I wrote down earlier in the year and came across this scripture:

Colossians 3
12 Put on therefore, as the ^aelect of God, holy and beloved, ^bbowels of ^cmercies, ^dkindness, ^ehumbleness of mind, ^fmeekness, longsuffering;

13 ^aForbearing one another, and ^bforgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on ^acharity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the ^apeace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye ^bthankful.

I figured out what I needed to do personally, and once the decision was made and prayed over, I woke up to a much happier and peaceful countenance on Monday (still bruised, still wishing and longing for more, but MUCH happier). I had a great week, which included

*being flashed by a patient,
*rescuing a lost 2 year old,
*treating two patients at work who have requested me specifically and that the front desk describes as my "boyfriends",
*learning about the mafia,
*teaching a patient to say "homomenous hemianopsia"
*putting a 60 year old woman on the skateboard and seeing her face light up and become as giddy as a teenage girl,
*dinner with Flor and laughing our heads off
*touring the new beautiful building my work is moving to and being so excited for it!
*receiving a kind letter in the mail
*celebrating a friend's upcoming wedding with a classy Bridal Shower
*apartment hunting with my mom
*being completely exhausted everyday after being in the pool with a bizzilion patients

All of the enjoyment from this might have been missed had I not decided to focus on charity and kindness, and allowing "the peace of God rule in [my] heart". I put into action the knowledge I gained from Colossians this weekend I am so glad that I did.

Surviving Disappointment

A few weeks ago I suffered what I'll call a bump in the road that has left my heart bruised and has led to more more tears then I want falling from these eyes.

They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Personally I think that is a bit dramatic, but then again, sometimes so am I. I'm definitely not dead, but right now I do NOT feel stronger. It's probably one of those things that down the road I'll see the purpose and be grateful for this growing pain. I'm not looking for compliments or sympathy. I'm trying to find some of that purpose sooner rather than later.

So how do you "survive" when you are handed a big dose of disappointment?

1.) You pound the conga's with your dad before heading to work in the morning.

2.) You go to that "dumb dance where they are encouraging dates" with a date, you dress up, you dance like crazy, and you have a good time!


3.) You teach Sunday School with your glasses on even when you've been crying all morning long and can't wear your contacts because your eyes hurt.

4.) You graciously accept flowers from your best girl friends who know the condition of your heart, and you laugh when the vase says "Prescription- Get Well Soon" and all your co-workers wonder what in the world happened to you.


5.) You tell angry thoughts towards the one who squished your heart they are not invited and give no room for them.

6.) You go kick a soccer ball!

7.) You become the crying shoulder for a patient who is having a hard day, because you understand how good a crying shoulder feels.

8.) You try to enjoy the bizarre dreams your subconscious throws at you instead of being shaken by them!

9.) You go eat at Pappasito's just for that delicious ice cream dessert with a friend visiting from out of town.

10.) You find ways to serve, and serve, and serve.

11.) You watch several conference talks and remember what the real purpose of life is.

12.) You go to a few Les Mills classes at the gym, "Because we need more hard core!" You can't feel sad when your shoulders are burning after the Body Pump shoulder track!

13.) You learn to ignore all the voices of the world and try to figure out how to keep on loving that person because that's the only way to heal-LOVE! You remember that you were a friend and still are a friend.

14.) You go apartment hunting and make grand plans!

15.) You remember that even though it might not feel that way, you KNOW that life is ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT and you have to keep moving forward, relying upon they One who will heal this disappointment. You keep hope alive!