Whirlwind Week

My least favorite part of Christmas is when you take down the Christmas tree. But that hasn't happened yet.

I have been sans internet for the last five days or so, which has actually been rather nice. Monday morning I drove to my parents' house in Chatham and spent a few days there hanging out with friends and family before heading home last night. It was nice to recuperate after the insanity of last week. I thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas services, but I put more work into them than I usually do. (Oops, should I have confessed that?) So I slept a lot while at my parents'.

My aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents all joined my fam for Christmas dinner. This usually provides some interesting moments, but I must admit that our last 2 family holidays have been really nice. I think it helps that my cousins have "grown up" quite a bit in the last few years....they used to tattle on each other and pick on each other through every meal, making it kind of awkward for the rest of us. But I think they have grown out of that phase.

My aunt brought over the game Apples to Apples on Christmas....if you haven't played, I highly recommend it. It is extremely entertaining. My favorite part of the game was when my grandpa put in the card "ninjas" when the word was "addictive"...and then proceeded to be shocked that my cousin Matt did not choose "ninjas" as the closest match to "addictive." I believe it went something like this: "What? Ninjas? Matt, come on, I put that in there just for you! How could you not pick ninjas? Ninjas!!"
It's funny in general to hear my grandpa get fired up about anything. My other favorite quote of the evening came from Brent: "Eyes!?! Eyes are SO soft!!" Of course every exclamation was uttered with a hint of protest. It was highly enjoyable. We finished out the evening with a few rounds of speed Scrabble as well.

Of course every trip "home" has its share of drama, and this one was no exception. I did have a chance to see the new building my former church recently completed....it is rather amazing. They have a beautiful kids' space, and the artwork is incredible. I would go there just to take my kids to that spot.

So here's to a happy New Year. So far I'm excited about it.

so this is christmas...

Christmas always seems to sneak up on me. I mean, I've known it was coming for the last 6 weeks or so, but now that it's less than a week away, I am starting to begin panic-mode. Not because I still have shopping to do (at least I don't think so), not because the weekend is going to be so crazy, but because I want to actually __pause__ to think about Christmas. The week before always gets me all wound up, and I don't take the time to __pause__.

I am really excited about our Christmas services, though. Not only does our building look amazing, but the services are going to be phenomenal. And I don't say that from a pride standpoint, but because I love Christmas and I'm excited to share Christmas with everyone else. Ahh. But it is the only day out of the year that I ever want snow, and it doesn't look like we will have any. How unfortunate.

In other news, for everyone wondering what I'm getting for Christmas....well, it will not be any sort of jewelry that goes on any of my fingers, particularly the 3rd finger of my left hand. Let me just reassure you of that so you can stop asking, stop looking at my hand, stop dropping hints, stop winking....ok, so no one has really been winking, but I have had several people ask. I promise that if that event occurs, it will be posted.

Hershey came out with peppermint kisses this holiday season. They are quite delightful.

So the other day...

So the other night I was getting ready for bed, and as I said goodnight to Shelley, I mentioned that I was going to go read a book. To which she sarcastically said, "A whole book?" And I of course said yes.

Turns out....I read half of the book I was starting. I couldn't put it down. And I only stopped because I thought I needed to go to sleep. But my mind was not ready to shut down, so I definitely lay awake for the next hour or so, and since I hadn't really had dinner, my stomach was growling, which caused a major stomach ache in the morning....and I skipped working out altogether because I hadn't slept (due to the book and stomach growling) and because I wanted to eat.

So this could be problematic--reading so much. You would think that by now I would know this...I mean, 4 years of college as an English major should have taught me as much. Books should come with warning labels: may disrupt sleeping and eating patterns, causing all biological functions to be thrown into disarray and confusion. But only the really good ones. Such as The Bright Forever, which I am currently 2/3 finished with. I can't wait to get to the end.

I recommend....

JoniKay, Kimberly, Kimberly's sister Sarah, and I went to see The Holiday last night.....I recommend it to anyone who enjoys extremely implausible love stories that happen during Christmas. Luckily, I am one of those people, so it was quite enjoyable, and perhaps one of the cutest movies I've seen in quite some time.

But my favorite part was Kimberly, in the middle of the movie, saying, "I love old men!...I have always said, old men are the best!"

And my other favorite part was walking into the theater with JoniKay and having to fight off the crowds in order to save 2 seats for Kimberly and Sarah...and by fight off the crowds I mean try not to sit too close to the ONE other person in the theater. I think there were around 10 people there by the time the credits rolled, so that wasn't too bad. Movies on Monday night = excellent. Movies on Friday night = lots of high school kids, as per our James Bond viewing experience.

Corny? Yes. Unrealistic? Yes. Cute? Absolutely.

Tiny little miracles.....

So I'll admit....I'm definitely not a Scrooge about Christmas, but I can tend to be a bit of a "Scrooge" (if you will) about....babies. It just seems that everyone is having babies right now, and it's a bit overwhelming.

But truthfully, I love babies. They are tiny and amazing and the most perfect little things ever.

Last night I had the honor of seeing the littlest baby I've ever seen....Lucas called me at around 1:30 this morning to say that his niece was due to arrive in about half an hour and invited me to come to the hospital. By the time I got there, they had just brought this tiny little squirmy thing into the room....Keira....and she was just as perfect as could be. Weighing in at just shy of six pounds, she was so tiny, so brand-new, so little....I just couldn't get over it. So I have had my first newborn experience.... Lucas claims that he is nervous about having a niece and would rather have had a nephew, but I keep telling him that little girls are the best thing in the world. I think now that Keira is here he will start believing me.

Luckily I had my camera with me (although I have yet to download my pictures, so there will be none for now....)--which is an important life lesson: always carry your camera. You never know when you will need it to capture the important things in life....especially if everyone else forgot their cameras. Sometimes I think about taking my camera out of my purse, but I never do. I am so smart...s-m-r-t....

Thanks, Laura...

So I would like to thank my new "addiction" (facebook)for providing me with today's blog fodder...and Laura Schnake, who belongs to the group from which I stole this.


You know you are from Springfield, Illinois when:

~You could give a Lincoln tour since you were 12
~You know what a horseshoe/pony shoe is
~You have gone to a LHS/SSEHS/SHS basketball game just to be cute
~The Illinois State Fair makes your life worth living for 10 stright days
~You have hung out at Wal-Mart. Alot.
~You know that Springfield is home and birthplace of the greatest rivalry ever: Cubs vs. Cardinals
~You didn’t swim in the lake all summer because of leptospirosis
~You know what leptospirosis is
~You know the 12 Pains of Christmas
~You DO NOT go to Douglas Park
~You are accustomed to everything closing at 9
~You can identify what part of Illinois someone is from because you don’t have an accent
~You make a point to not rub Lincoln’s nose
~You have at least one thing with 103.7 WDBR on it
~You remember “Da Bomb”, Assylum, and Eclipse
~You know what the PCCC is
~You know and love the pink elephant

Oh no.....

I have a new internet addiction. Let me rephrase...it has not yet become an addiction, but I do have a new internet pastime....it's all Josh's fault that I now have a facebook account, although so far it has proved rather exciting. You know how when you get something new you can barely contain yourself from being occupied with it? That's the stage that facebook and I are currently in. I'm sure the novelty will wear off shortly, but so far it has proven to be rather amusing.

I could not make myself get out of bed this morning...not because I was tired, but because (I swear) it was about 40 degrees in my room. And I am not lying. The only good thing about winter is that it is a rather cuddly season.....it involves sweaters and blankets and mittens and such. Don't get me wrong, I'd take flip-flops any day to snow, but it does have its moments. Not to mention Christmas lights. I am a recent fan of Christmas lights. I love how festive they make everything look....although I must admit that I am not a huge fan of the "new" Christmas colors--blue, pink, and all those other weird colors. Those do not say Christmas to me.

I highly recommend:
Sarah McLachlan's new Christmas CD. I love it.

I recommend:
Getting dressed up at least once during the holiday season in something that makes you feel sexy. Oh yes, that's right. Lucky for me, I have several holiday events to attend. And a wonderful boyfriend who frequently takes me out on dates. :o)

I do NOT recommend:
Running across any parking lots. There is a great risk of falling. Be very careful.

Why....

...are bathrooms always cold?

Seriously, this does not make sense. For obvious reasons, you would expect a restroom to be warm, right? But no. I used the restroom this morning at the church and it was at least fifteen degrees colder in there than in the rest of the building. And the water is always cold too. So using the restroom in the winter is never an enjoyable experience.

Lucas and I saw The Fountain last night...if anyone else has seen it, please submit your feedback. I am interested....Lucas has his own opinions, so I would like to hear some others.

Snow Day

It's the first snow day of the year.

Breanne's school is closed today, so we are partying it up at home.

And by partying, I mean.....watching movies while I mend things and then update my blog. It's really very exciting.

This is what it looks like outside:

Sporadic Birthday Party

So yesterday at our staff meeting Justin announced that they had some "sporadic baptisms" at Shorewood campus last weekend. Sporadic was clearly not the correct word...spontaneous would have probably been a better choice.

So we had a "sporadic birthday party" for Tyler last night. We didn't know it was his birthday until about 8:30 pm, but being the fine hostesses that we are, we pulled together a pretty good birthday...Lucas brought the card and the gift, Joni Kay had already made dinner, and Breanne whipped up a cake. I did a whole lot of nothing, so I cannot take any credit for anything.

There are two songs on the radio right now that I cannot stand. Although I am morally opposed to the lyrics of both of these songs, I find myself singing along when they play on the radio. It is infuriating. I heard the song Lips of an Angel twice in a row on two different radio stations today while driving, and I didn't change it either time, even though the lyrics are about still being in love with an ex while with someone else. The other song that makes me furious is Dirty Little Secret...nothing like telling teenage girls that if a guy tells you to keep it a secret, you should listen.

And now it is sleeting. The first "snowstorm" of the season is upon us...I love how everyone reacts to the first snow fall...schools have already announced cancellations for tomorrow. I think I used to like snow when it meant I didn't have to do anything. Now it is merely an annoyance.

On Grey's Anatomy they just separated 2 adult conjoined twins.
Talk about weird.

Musings

"Faith revolves around a crisis in personal relationship more than intellectual doubts...
Faith offers the option of continuing to trust God even while accepting the limits of our humanity, which means accepting that we cannot answer the 'Why?' questions...
For many people, it takes the jolt of tragedy, illness, or death to create an existential crisis of faith. At such a moment, we want clarity; God wants our trust."
(philip yancey_reaching for the invisible God)

"If knowing answers to life's questions is absolutely necessary to you, then forget the journey. You will never make it, for this is a journey of unknowables--of unanswered questions, enigmas, incomprehensibles, and most of all, things unfair."
(jeanne guyon)

*
I hate that women are the emotional sex. It really frustrates me. I tend to be emotional. (Gasp!) I know, shocking. And in turn, I tend to have an identity crisis every other month or so, and I keep wondering if this will ever stop happening. I have no reason to feel this way, it just happens. And when you're younger, this is perfectly acceptable--the feeling of not knowing who you are or who you are supposed to be. I always assumed, though, that by the time I finished college, I would have all of that figured out. Seriously, your mid-twenties sounds so old when you're in high school.

But guess what....I don't have it figured out, hence the recurring crises. (I think my current moodiness has been heightened by the thunderstorm...I love thunderstorms. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow.) And as something of a control freak, the idea of letting all that go and trusting God...well, that is a bit outrageous.

It's official.

The Christmas Season has begun.

Those of you who spent Friday shopping know that this is true. But it's true at 28W729 Richard Drive, because I came home from church tonight to find our Christmas tree up and decorated, with multiple bins and boxes strewn about the living room. All in all, it's a very festive atmosphere at the moment. We are even playing Christmas radio on the internet, and the house has an air of cinnamon and Christmas cookies.

I do enjoy the Christmas season. But I'm afraid that I'm going to be on Christmas decoration overload this year. It seems that everyone has taken it upon themselves to be the Griswolds this year. There is a house on Book Road that looks ridiculous. Although it also looked ridiculous for Halloween, so I don't think it's just this holiday...they're just a little out of control in general. But my biggest pet peeve about Christmas (well, actually most holidays) is inflatable yard ornaments. I'm sure I blogged about this last year too, but in case I haven't made it clear...I hate inflatable yard ornaments. I find them obnoxious and terrible. I will most likely rant about this again at some point before December 25th.

I must say, I think this year we had the most enjoyable family Thanksgiving we've had in years. Everyone was pleasant and agreeable, and we managed to play several games together without getting frustrated. This is unusual for my family. The best part of playing games, though, is that we tend toward playing games of speed, which is difficult for my grandparents. But they try their best. Brent (my cousin) taught us the game of Speed Scrabble, which I highly recommend, as it is much more enjoyable and fast paced than regular Scrabble, but it was exceedingly difficult for Grandma and Grandpa. At least you can always count on not being in last place when they play. And my grandpa thought Leonardo DiCaprio was an Italian director. I love him. (My grandpa, I mean, not Leonardo DiCaprio.)

Here's the grandparents and grandkids...

We're a pretty good-looking bunch.

The weather made for a highly enjoyable weekend. And Lucas got to experience it all with me. I guarantee his blog post about Thanksgiving will reflect different experiences than mine...

Parents are the bane of my existence.

Not MY parents. My students' parents.

I have a student whose mother insists on "teaching" her at home...why pay for piano lessons if you're going to do the job yourself? And if I try to correct what her mother has taught her, she doesn't listen. Oh, and she has to call her mom "Mommy." I have another mother who came in last week and asked me if her daughter's recital piece was too easy. (Um, no. Your daughter still doesn't know her notes, so it's definitely not too easy.) I have another student who says his mother won't let him practice playing loud. (What?) Oh parents. What do you do with parents who are weird?

I know you're not supposed to have favorites in life....but it seems that I always have one. I have a favorite piano student. She is amazing. She learned her whole recital piece in one week (it was perfect when she came in yesterday!), and when I asked if she wanted to learn another Christmas song, she picked one out and then admitted that she had already "kind of" practiced it. And it was nearly perfect too. She is such a sweetheart, and I love her enthusiasm for the piano. Reminds me of a kid I used to know....

It seems that there is something in the water in the greater Naperville area...I found out last night that 2 more of my friends are pregnant. So I will only be drinking bottled water from here on out. It's catching. Watch out.

Little-known fact about Charissa #27:
Sports movies generally make me cry. It's kind of pathetic, I know. I feel like Shelley. But the story of the underdog winning the big game....gets me every time. Hoosiers is one of my all-time favorite movies. I loved Remember the Titans. I cried at Glory Road. And probably countless others. But there is a movie coming out that was previewed when I saw James Bond the other night with Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox (which of course caught Breanne's attention) called We Are Marshall. I know that I'm going to go see it and I'm going to cry, especially since there is a plane crash involved....
The funny thing is that I don't even really like or care about sports for the most part....but those dramatic sports movies--every time.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

I think one of the worst jobs ever has to be the people who stand outside--in front of stores, apartment complexes, restaurants, wherever--dressed in costumes. I mean, most of those costumes cannot possibly be comfortable, this time of year it's probably really cold, you know people are laughing at you as they drive past (and not in the I-think-that's-kind-of-cute-and-funny kind of way, but in the look-at-that-loser-you-couldn't-pay-me-enough-to-do-that kind of way), and it has to be really boring. I say this because today I saw 2 separate instances of this kind of ridiculous advertisement. It can't really be effective, can it?

So I have stopped xanga for 2 reasons:
1.) so that people who are not xanga subscribers can leave me comments
2.) because xanga is blocked on our church's server, which means I can't post while at work. I know, it's very disturbing, not being able to blog while working.
3.) this looks cooler than my xanga anyway. (I know I said I only had 2 reasons, but that one just came to me.)

Book Road between 75th and 87th streets has to be the epicenter of Naperville's skunk population. I can't remember a time in the last month or two that I have driven down that road and not smelled a skunk.

So I came back to the real world and I stopped posting. My apologies.

Chicago is, well, wintery. It was wintery when I got off the plane last Friday, much to my chagrin. But I suppose as there's nothing I can actually do about it, I should not complain. In fact, as of this moment, I resolve to complain about the weather less. I would say I won't complain at all, but I know that won't happen, because winter and I....we don't get along so well.

One night recently I came home to see a possum in our driveway. It got scared by my headlights (which are so ominous and menacing), so it started running for shelter.....unfortunately the only shelter it could find was behind our garbage cans. He looked so terrified and anxious to find a hiding spot....I almost felt sorry for the little guy. This is a huge shift from my last encounter with a possum, in which it was on the front porch and I had to call my roommates to chase it away so that I could get in the house. Note, I did say I almost felt sorry for it. Not quite.

So I am becoming increasingly alarmed that I have not even begun my Christmas shopping. Apparently I was supposed to have started a few weeks ago....according to every store in the greater Naperville area and the city of Yorkville, which already has Christmas decorations adorning their street lamps. It looks quite festive but is beginning to freak me out. JoniKay already has her shopping done. While I find this a bit absurd (she has already begun the wrapping process--who wraps Christmas presents before Thanksgiving?), I must admit that I am a bit jealous. At this stage I don't even have any idea what is on the Christmas lists of those for whom I am buying. (That was kind of an awkward sentence...but you get the idea.) Who decided that we needed to start focusing on Christmas the day after Halloween? Poor Thanksgiving....it gets lost in all the hustle and bustle....

Here's to Thanksgiving--a glorious day involving the consumption of entirely too much food, none of which you get to eat on a typical basis. I love turkey. One week from today, I expect to be enjoying turkey in the company of my family. Here's to the absence of chaos....for once. (I have the greatest Thanksgiving story of all time.....it involves my aunt, a pumpkin pie, and a fiasco....I'll save it for later.)

I have a new cell phone number..... in case I missed you on my email list, my new number is 630.340.1891. Guess I'm officially a "local" now.

And if you think of, please feel bad for Shelley. She has been sick for almost a week now, and she keeps asking us to feel bad for her. Her grace period with me has ended, but if you think of it, let her know that you feel bad for her.