'Tis the Season

The Christmas season is officially here. Patrick and I both act like giddy kids every time this year. We were strong enough to keep from listening to Christmas music until this last week, but who can stay away from Josh Groban's Christmas cd once they hear it? Yesterday we pulled out the Christmas decor. We put up our tree and reminisced of our first Christmas together in snowy Tennessee. We hung our stockings, lit Christmas scented candles and watched one of my favorites.....National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I have a old-man crush on Chevy Chase. We could watch Christmas movies all day long! We already have our DVR set to record the TBS Christmas movie marathon.

The season continued this morning when my wonderful husband let me sleep in and then took me to get Starbucks and cinnamon rolls. We are having a breakfast tailgate in "The Room" while we watch our bulldogs play the techies. About the starbucks trip---I am not a big starbucks fan....at all. I have recently, however, discovered a sweet mixture that has been haunting me since I was introduced to it on Thanksgiving. I ordered a simple Earl Grey tea when the barista asked if I had ever tried it with soy and vanilla. Although I was hesitant, I agreed....and WOW....I am so glad I did. It rocked my world. If you are a tea drinker (and you should be....it is a much healthier alternative to coffee....not to mention soy is much better for you than milk....and vanilla is better for you than sugar and any chemically induced substitute), you need to try this. Just order a soy vanilla creme with an earl grey tea bag.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Giving thanks always and for everything, to God the Father, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:20

This was our first Thanksgiving away from either of our families. It was also our warmest Thanksgiving yet. We are still learning to make adjustments. When we woke up, we assumed the parade would be on since we knew it was airing on the east coast....but apparently we get that on a delay. We had a great morning...one full of many reminders that we are certainly blessed. We spent the morning serving with CCV in the town of Pomona, a suburb full of crime and poverty. We delivered a couple of Thanksgiving meals to families in the mobile home park we served in. We quickly realized we were going to need a translator in order to pray with them. CCV did an incredible job setting this event up . The event was set up so that families could come in and eat a Thanksgiving meal, get clothes for their family and then grab a bag of canned goods on the way out. Although we missed being with family and friends this holiday, the next best thing is serving with friends and loving others.

The afternoon was spent with Harrison and Lindsay, doing the typical football/parade watching. We anticipated our Thanksgiving meal all day, and finally gathered with another couple (Jim and Erin) at 6:00pm. The food was great! Seriously, I was impressed with how good of a job us girls did with everything. The menu consisted of Turkey (of course!--Lindsay's first and she did a great job!), Erin's fresh green bean casserole and sweet potato soufflé, and I contributed my first home-made macaroni and cheese, Sister Schubert rolls;we also added pumpkin cake, Lindsay's home-made pumpkin roll, and a ton of cider. There was a ton of food. We all ate too much and we all felt miserable after dinner....just like every Thanksgiving.

Patrick and I each took time to say 5 things we are thankful for in general and 3 things we are thankful for about the other. This Thanksgiving we are both thankful for:

1. Community-The new community we are forming here and the irreplaceable community we have back in Savannah (and Washington D.C., Florida, and Tennessee).

2. Health

3. Employment-It is in this time of unemployment (for me) that we have both become incredibly thankful for the times when we have both had a job. It is so easy for us to complain about the fact that we have never had a time in our marriage when both of us were making a full-time salary, but now we know to be grateful when both of us are making any consistent income.

4. Our Marriage and the continuous opportunities we have to love, forgive, serve and be Christ to one another.

5. Our reliable Honda Accord and our awesome chocolate lab-....so that is two in one, but Patrick and I couldn't agree. We have spent most all our marriage with one car and I can't imagine how inconvenient (and expensive) it would be if we had to put the car in the shop. We love Honda. Lastly, Bailey is awesome. He is always there to offer us love and cuddling when we need it most.

What We've Been Doing

Things have been busy in L.A. Last Friday night, Harrison and Lindsay joined Patrick and I for the annual Winter Festival in Glendora. It was cute. Glendora's Old Town is one of my favorites. The street was lined with lit trees, local store owners serving wine and cheese, and they even had horse-drawn carriages strolling down the street. What was great was that the temperature was bearable. We even had to take our jackets off. Perfect!

Patrick and I also got to go to Dancing with the Stars on Monday night! It was awesome. We got to get dressed up and enjoy a fun, free date. We crossed Santa Monica Blvd and Melrose to finally arrive at CBS studio. We have been on the waiting list since we got here back in August. We got an email last week telling us that it was our turn, and that we needed to be in Hollywood no later than 2:30pm. Well, we got to the line at exactly 2:30pm. I am going to guess that we were in the last 15 people in line. Although it is tempting, I am not going to talk about the group of six girls that walked up and jumped in front of the entire line. Nor am I going to talk about the possibility that the fact that they all poured themselves into their mini spandex dresses that were four sizes too small had anything to do with their early admittance into the studio. We waited in line for hours. I was smart enough to bring flip flops. By 5pm we were headed into the studio....and up to the balcony with our fellow peasants. Our whole group in the back of the line joked about being the peasants of the group because they made us wait outside until all of VIPs got there to determine how many extra seats would be available. The show was great! Not only did we get to see the final three perform their freestyle dances, we got to see quite a few celebrities. I have included their pictures. Fun.

facebook

So I officially joined facebook yesterday. Wow. All of a sudden I have "friends". I have, until yesterday, avoided the facebook and MySpace worlds for a few reasons:

1. Let's be honest, I don't really have a gajillion "friends"....my actual friends read this blog, email, and call.

2. I'm too busy to update my own status, let alone look at everyone else's. Why do you care that "Lindsey is drinking a frappe" anyway?

3. Quite frankly, I like to avoid awkward moments of ignoring a friend request. All of sudden I'm forced to either "befriend" someone I don't want to "befriend" or forever deal with the awkwardness that results from my rejection. I mean, what is this about? Just moments ago, we were both okay with the fact that we weren't friends. Now, I'm forced to make a choice. What if we have nothing in common? What, really, is the point in our facade of a friendship? Even worse, what if I just really don't want to be your friend. What if you are an ex-boyfriend, and I sincerely don't want to know what you are up to these days. The problem is that if I reject the potential friendship request, it appears that I have not let the past go or that I may still be struggling with emotions of this relationship. Which, I must add, is a false assumption. How is one to handle these potential issues?

Regardless of my reasons why, I joined the facebook community yesterday. I don't know why. Maybe it is because I heard that my college professors had a facebook account and I felt behind the times. I can immediately feel the competition of numbers. Numbers of groups you are a part of, number of invites you get, and most importantly, the number of friends you have. This thing will suck you in. We will see how it goes. But I will not, however, jump on the MySpace wagon.

Getting Settled

Things are staying busy out west. It seems we have something going on all the time. I am busy teaching during the day and job hunting every other waking moment. Thank God that my substitute job was extended to November 21st. I am busy applying to substitute in public schools and adjunct at nearby community colleges. Please be praying earnestly for the job situation.

Patrick is staying busy with work and school. He is speaking for the first time at 808 this Sunday night in the "Letters to the President" series Jeff started last week. After Sunday, the focus will be on the next Refuge, the Broom Ball event next week and campus outreach events at APU. On top of all of that, Hebrew is keeping him busy as well. He will be taking two classes next quarter so things will only get busier.

PLUS.....we are in L.A. and there is a ton to see.....so we are always on the go. In the midst of this busy season, we have still managed to take some updated pictures of our place a little more decorated than you saw it last. These pictures should give you a better idea of the layout....and how cozy things really are. Enjoy.