All I Want for Christmas is...

Most people make a list of the many things they want for Christmas. I have to admit I have made several lists in my lifetime, but this year I am striving to change. Last year about this time, I was watching Food Network and noticed a commercial about Heifer International. Alton Brown stated it was his charity of choice. I looked into it last Christmas and learned that this organization provides livestock for families that are barely able to survive. Through donations, Heifer International is able to send goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, llamas, water buffalo, bees, etc. to families in need which can not only provide them with food to eat but also a source of income. The difference between last year and this year is that I am actually making an effort to change the way I think about giving and receiving. Instead of receiving gifts this year, Bryan and I have tried to request donations be made to this chosen charity. We are also trying to match our gift giving to others with a donation to Heifer International in their honor. So if we spend $10 on someone then we are giving $10 to buy a share in some kind of livestock. Why am I sharing all of this? If I had not seen that commercial last year, I would be making my same selfish list as usual this year. But Christmas is not about receiving, it is about giving and it seems only appropriate to give a gift that keeps on giving.

Decorating For Christmas

I almost didn't decorate for Christmas this year. I am having a hard time dealing with all of the commercialism of our society. But after talking with a few people, I decided that I should use my decorating as more of a reminder of my constant growing relationship with Christ and the season of light. I have used all of my previous decorations and have down sized the decorating quite a bit.

We bought a new tv a few weeks ago and rearranged our entire living room. I also found a practically new chair at a Consignment store last night so it has been added. Bryan and I are building quite the eclectic style. I absolutely love it and I definitely loved the price!!

Here is our newly arranged and decorated living room:

This is the new chair. The end table is also new. It now houses all of our tv, cable, dvd, etc. boxes. All the wires will be hidden soon. :)

Feature in the WKU Herald

Thought you might like to see the article written about the READ KY program that I every so often mention. You can check it out here:

BG benefits from adult literacy program - News

Braces Free!!!!

Today I got my braces off and I thought I would show off my brand new straight teeth in my same old smile. Here I am sporting my new retainer case, a box of Sugar Babies, a bag of popcorn, and Sweetarts, which were all a parting gift from the orthondontist.

Numbness

It's easy for us to ask God why things happen, but it's not alway easy to understand. This past weekend has been tough on many, many people. The majority of you already know that Bryan's dad has resigned from Highland Park Church and has decided to leave Kim (Bryan's mom). It has been both a shock and disappointment to say the least. Needless to say, things will never be the same. Bryan and I are lucky in some regards that we are not living in Jackson right now, but then again we feel like we can't do as much as we should for the rest of the family. We are getting bits and pieces from family members, friends, and other people and when the time is right I might explain more, but for now I am not going into specifics. It is going to be a long road of recovery for everyone. When the numbness wears off and the hurt and pain is more prevalent, Bryan and I are thankful that we know that God has a purpose for all of this, no matter how much this sucks. Please keep Kim, Amy (and Adam), Matt, Bryan, HP, the many others that have been hurt, and yes, even Robert, even though that is hard to say right now in your prayers.

It's the Thought that Counts

Last night when I arrived at the Housing Authority, I was showered with gifts. I was greeted by two of the regular clients right around 5 p.m. Anthony, a guy in his late fifties who is reading at about a 1st grade level, held out a dusty Mixed Berry Glade candle as a gift for Christmas. Carolyn handed me a Christmas card that she signed. There was nothing extravagent about these gifts. In fact, they were probably things that most people would throw away if they received them. To me, though, I am not sure I have ever received such sincere gifts in my entire life.
The clients that I work with live in public housing and they often times don't have enough money to buy themselves food or clothing. They thought enough of me though to sacrifice what little they could to give me a gift. I was definitely humbled to say the least.
A few minutes later a new client walked in with a box of fruitcake candy. He was a 65 year old man who had recently had a stroke and was wanting some extra help with phonics. He gave me the box of candy because he said he needed to make a good impression on his teacher. He also said that he didn't have an apple or else he would have brought me that instead.
Working with adults is amazing! Although I am teaching them how to read they are teaching me about life. They understand that it's the thought that counts. They are completely authentic. They are my inspiration and I am truly grateful that God has allowed me to learn from them.

Whirlwind of Events

Last week I mentioned that I had a lot to write about and now I just have even more. I guess I should start with my last day at school. I not only had the worst day of the year, but probably the worst day of my entire teaching career. I was screamed at by a very mean and hurtful parent in front of all of my students and other parents at our Thanksgiving Celebration Feast. It was not pretty and I was very upset by it. I won't go into specifics because that just brings it all back up again but I did get in quite a bit of retail therapy later that evening.
Wednesday was full of packing before a trip to the tanning salon and the orthodontist. Yes, I said tanning salon. I had my second spray tan visit in hopes that I might have some color for Amy's (Bryan's sister) wedding this past weekend since I was wearing a spaghetti strapped dress in the wedding. My first visit was during the previous week right before I grew incredibly sick from a stomach virus. Let me just say that freezing cold spray and horrible tanning solution fumes does not help a person with a developing stomach virus at all. My second visit was not as bad and I did have at least a little color for the wedding. We left for Jackson shortly after my visit to the orthodontist and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with my family.
Thursday morning Bryan ran in a 5K with his sister and I was there to document the event as well as provide moral support. As soon as the race was over we headed north to Rutherford, TN to visit my grandparents. My grandparents are not in great health so I cherish the time I get to spend with them. My grandmother showed me how to sew a pinwheel design and I am not sure that I have ever felt more special around her. It was definitely the highlight of my day. We spend the rest of the day at the Tillery's house and ate another round of food. Later that evening I went with Amy and Kim to the church to work on things for the wedding and then Amy gave me a haircut. As I was getting my hair cut, Bryan decided he was going to go to the television studio with his little brother who is a camera guy for the 6 and 10 pm news. Because I was in the middle of my haircut and I couldn't go with him, I had to wait in town until a little after 11 for him. Needless to say I was not very happy but I was very thankful that I got to talk to Kelly for a while and do some much needed venting. (Thanks, Kelly!!)
Friday morning I skipped the shopping adventures and slept in for a little while. Bryan and I ate some breakfast with my parents and then headed into town to pick up his tuxedo for the wedding. Then we ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant of all time, Los Portales. It was so delicious. Next, we went to play disc golf at Union University, which by the way was a horrible place to play and we basically had to go on a treasure hunt to find the tee boxes and baskets/poles. It was fun anyway. Friday evening we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at the church and then headed back to my parents' house to crash for the evening.
Saturday morning was filled with hair and make-up stuff at Amy's salon where she works. We participated in all the normal wedding stuff and Amy and Adam (our new brother-in-law) were sent off to a have a wonderful honeymoon around 5 pm. We helped clean up all the wedding stuff that had been worked so hard on for the past few months. It is funny how much work goes into a wedding and how fast it is all over. Their wedding did make me and Bryan reflect on how far we have come since we were walking down the aisle 5 years ago. That was such a special day for us and each new day just brings us closer.
Sunday, Bryan and I split our time between two churches. We went to Highland Park for the early service and to my parent's church, Oakfield Baptist for their service. Then we ate lunch with my parents, packed up our stuff again, and headed home.
Our break wasn't too much of a break. It was more like a whirlwind of events but it was fun and great to see family and friends.