My Christmas Current

Honestly, I wasn't excited for Christmas until the very last minute. Yesterday I went shopping with my oldest sister and bought something special for everyone in my family. I wanted to find something that stood out for each person, and I think I accomplished just that. (I also tried very hard to shop on a budget which started out great but I'm still proud of myself!) People were insanely rude on the road too which had me gripping to the side of the car and shutting my eyes the whole time. Today was a lazy day. My mom wanted me to go out shopping with her, but I was so worn and the thought of going out again and on the day before Christmas wasn't that appealing. (Plus she was going to leave at 6 AM-this girl doesn't function until 8) Anyway, today was a lazy day. By noon I'd watched enough teen mom reruns that I could take and I played Mario Party 6 with my sister. Then I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped presents. My Dad was dissapointed I didn't go to church tonight for the Christmas Program. I stayed home and helped my mom bake which was so nice to just have some time with just her for a change.

I live in dreamland often. I think about when I'll get my chance to bring someone special home for Christmas. I dream about when i can buy my own kids gifts and read them the stories of the Nativity and see thier faces light up on Christmas. Right now I feel stuck between kid and adult. Although I am an adult, I still feel like a kid at home, but now I know realities. I see greediness, I see poverty, I see emptiness. Christmas isn't the same as when I was a child. But I'm praying it'll still be just as special and important to me and us tomorrow, and all year round.

Lava Lamp Love

I'm not really crafty. At all. I can't even wrap presents nicely. But after stumbling on pinterest and seeing really cool homemade glitter globes, I decided to try to make one for myself-AND IT WORKED! It was really awesome and I'm def. using it in the future. This picture has terrible quality but it's a fun experiment. Here's the website I used to make it: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Lava-Lamp-with-Household-Ingredients

The television I grew up with

I've been at home in between semesters and have had time for WAY too much tv lately. If I get up early enough, I catch the Magic School Bus. (Which I could still watch and laugh at!) I've been thinking about which videos from my elementary days I would show my own classroom. My top favorites are Bill Nye, The Magic School Bus, and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode.

Anyway, my mom comes in the room, and I go, "Mom! Dolly Parton did a voice over on this episode! (It's the holiday recycling episode where Wanda recycles her toy nutcracker and the kids make a new bus) We get into a conversation about how Dolly's character shows a little too much (if you know what I mean) and even though it's  not right for tv, I never cared when I was 5. I got the real meaning of the episode (i.e. recycling and reusing.) And as much as it irks me, (and maybe it's just me), tv was so much more exciting. Now it seems that it's either all about fun or all about learning. (Although I'm looking for some shows that have both) I used to watch Zoom and make crafts and play the word games. But I look back at some of my favorites shows and go, "WHAT?" Last night I dreamed I met a man who had his head chopped off and they replaced it with a dog's head. Exactly like the labs in trench coats on Sesame Street that I haven't seen for 15 years! Even now they kind of creep me out just a little bit. A few days ago, my cousin and I went back into our past and put in a VHS copy of Puff the Magic Dragon. (Good lesson, but a little weird) Although I'm still singing "Weave Me the Sunshine". My cousin who is 6, laughed at the sneezes on Honalea.

Okay end rant. I guess I just miss being a kid, and it's that media issue again.

Loi Kratong

There are places and events that I read about that seem very exciting, beautiful, and breathtaking. One of these is the Loi Kratong, or The Festival of Lights. In Thailand, Buddhists celebrate this holiday by sending lotus shaped lanterns onto the water or into the sky. The lotus flower allows water to drip off of it, symbolizing that sins can fall onto our bodies, but if we live peacefully, the sins do not stay and they fall off. The lanterns are sent into the water and symbolize bad luck leaving. So beautiful!

Burlap

What is that? I'm sure you've heard of it. It's that ugly material they use to make carrying totes. It holds potatoes! It's plain, rough, and durable. Although the internet claims to have a few eco-friendly individuals who choose to make burlap a fashion statement, it isn't becoming popular fast. Burlap was used often in Biblical times. When people were upset or ashamed, they dressed themselves in burlap an cried out to the Lord for forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. I was thinking about why this was the norm. Burlap is the basic material. It says, "I am rough on the outside, but this is who I am without any adornment or lavish materials. It is purely me and me alone who cries out to God." When I dreamed about moving to Romania, my dad had handed me a burlap dress and told me I would have to wear it. It was ugly and scratchy, but it was proff of a simple life. We don't need fancy items or clothes. We just need God.

The Coming Spring

Where do I begin to describe how insane and amazing this week has been?

Sunday:
I went to my college church for the last time in a long time. It was the Children's Christmas Program and the kids did an amazing job! I'm so proud to know them and watch them grow and learn. Then I went to work for the last time, scraping plates and loading the dishwasher. "So glad I don't have to do this anymore!" I told myself. I was stressing over finals, cleaning, packing, and studying. I didn't have any time for any of it and I was frantic to the extreme.

Monday:
I start cleaning my room and packing everything up. "I won't fit everything in the car and I'll have to leave this place I love." Then a miracle! I find money equivalent to half of my school bill in my desk drawer. Money I had all along, but still stressed over all semester. Money I had worked for this past summer. I tossed my mind back and forth wondering what I had to do now: save my money and still go home by giving up any notion that I would be staying?

Tuesday:
The hardest finals. "I didn't do well enough. I'm  a total failure. I don't deserve to stay and be blessed by such a great life that I've grown so accustomed to." I pack up all my belongings, even getting rid of a lot of stuff knowing I can't take it all home. And then, a second miracle, even bigger than the first. Someone was willing to help me out. All my financial worries were eliminated in less than 3 days. Now I can stay where I love and where I grow, where I can use my "God-gifts", where I can better myself to be a future teacher and be loved and give love to family and friends.

Wednesday:
Running around campus. Letting everyone know what happened. Getting home to sit and watch tv with my mom after a ten hour drive with so much taken off my shoulders. I can't even describe it!

Today: (Thursday)
I am ready to start new, I am ready to work hard on classes, relax with some good books and celebrate Christmas. I'm so thankful for all the people who prayed for me and supported me. I am truly and honestly amazed and greatful that I am surrounded by such Godly wisdom. I never saw how much I was truly loved until this semester when my trials were the hardest. When I doubted God, He still didn't abandon me.

For my Dad

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday. I can't remember how old he is turning (Sorry Dad!) I thought I would write a little bit about him and how much he means to me. :)

Memories
When I was little, my dad was the bravest person I knew. He did things no one else I knew did. He carried big bags of Morton's salt to put on the sidewalk in the winter time. He would heat up the car before we all got in, and then he would scrape the ice off the windshield (all four sides) while we waited inside. My Dad drove me to the hospital to get the glass out of my foot,  and he made me laugh the whole way there. He would stop and buy gatorade to bring home for whatever family member was sick from church. My Dad is also a terrific piano player and he loves to sing to Jesus. When he's at church he is always carrying his bible and some sort of music book, with a pen behind his ear. I would sit in church and my dad would see that I was bored, so he would sit me on his lap and make me bounce. I would also play with the pens in his pocket. (He can attest to losing many that way!)  He used to always wear suspenders and very distinctive cologne. He carried a briefcase (and later a beeper) and set it by the door where we would play with the combination, even though he warned us not to.

My Dad today

My Dad has always worked hard for us. He has given his life to working for his kids and his family. Now he is working hard at what he wants to do, and we're so proud of him. We don't always agree, but my Dad always looks for my best interest and I can talk to him and my mom about anything. Three years ago I thought I had lost him, but God allowed him to stay here with us. I enjoy his laughter, his jokes, and his playing. I love that he is always smiling, and that he loves me as his daughter. 

Happy birthday Dad! I love you! :) From Bright Eyes