Christmas Card Photo Shoot

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

A couple of weeks back we had a little photo shoot so that we could get some pictures for our Christmas Cards (ahem ... that were never sent) and to give our parents because the pictures they had of us were WAY outdated! I thought I'd throw up a little slideshow of our fun little shoot!

Invictus

All the good movies come out around the Holidays! You should all go and see this one... because it's really good...


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

Let's Talk Entertainment

As I get older I have found that my taste in movies has evolved from cheesy chick flicks to movies that actually have some type of meaning! Don't get me wrong - I still love a good chick flick or cheesy teenage drama, but lately, I have found myself being drawn to movies that are based more around real life and that elicit real emotional responses from me. Our subscription to Netflix has helped to fuel the fire that has been lit and we are finding ourselves branching out to movies that 5 years ago I never would have considered, because it wasn't a cheesy love story!

This morning, instead of working on Christmas Projects after I took Nate to work, I opted to relax and turn on "Freedom Writers." I originally put this movie on our queue months ago so when I popped it in this morning, I had forgotten what the movie was about, and I was very pleasantly surprised. (If you're looking for a technical critique of the movie, you won't get it here - except that if you have kids, don't let them see it because it is violent and has a couple cuss words).


I am, by default, more of a movie listener than a movie watcher. I can watch the same movie over and over and see something new every time, because I am usually multi-tasking or my mind is not fully concentrating. This movie was different. When I started the movie I had my laptop in place for some photo editing and 5 minutes in my laptop was sitting on our footstool and I was hooked. I do not exaggerate when I say that this movie "had me at hello." Through the course of 2 hours I cried, I laughed, I got angry, and I cheered with triumph and my faith in mankind was restored (however temporarily because I'm off to work with people who sue people for a living), and I am recommending this movie to everyone who reads this blog and I'll be recommending it to people who don't!

(Oh, and for the record, I really do love my job, and I work for the good guys, so they really don't tamper with my faith in mankind!)

Christmas Cards 2009

I had grand designs this year to make and send out all of my Christmas Cards! School ended and my grand designs (for a lot of my clever Christmas plans) got dropped because I didn't want to deal with the stress! I am still mailing out some cards, but not the usual 70ish... this is the card we will be sending via email (which, in my opinion is much more cute than the cards I made) so I thought I'd throw it up here and wish you all a Merry Christmas as well!

We hope that you have a wonderful week and that you get to spend Christmas in the way that your hearts desire! We are so grateful for all of our many blessings and for the birth of our Savior and for all that His birth and His life represent and mean to us. We love you all and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

It's Officially Christmas

Fall Semester 09 is officially finished! I just took my last final and am now looking forward to a whole month of freedom from homework! Now, I get to give my brain a rest and enjoy this:


(I'm so grateful for such a wonderful husband who supports me and cooks me dinner so that I can focus on studying)


(I'm also grateful for wonderful friends who provide lots of laughs and support and love and joy)


(And Christmas - because it is my favorite time of year! A time to ponder and reflect and show gratitude and be humbled and spend time with family!)

Now I'm off to make Christmas Cards & work on gifts!! Happy Christmas to you all!

Finals Week

... caffeine ... note cards ... late nights ... 7:30 finals ... hiking up old main in 4 degrees ... hot cocoa ... study groups ... selling back textooks ... missing Nate ... finishing finals so that I can see Nate ... boots, gloves, scarves & hats ... blogging breaks

Just a little glimpse of my week this week ... one more to go ... I can do it!

Turkeys, Kids & Late Nights

I know I say this all the time, but "I can't believe" that it is already December! This year has gone by fast! The turkey has already been eaten, the Nativities are up, and the Christmas music is playing! The Holiday's are in swing and I love it!

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving Day and week! Jen & Jess came home for the big dinner day and we had a good time playin' games with the kids, staying up too late playin' cards with the adults, Black Friday Shopping (my first experience - people are seriously crazy), movies (including "New Moon" and a lot, a lot, a lot of good food! We ate a tasty dinner with Nate's family on Thanksgiving Day and enjoyed their company and their cooking skills, then we headed out to my parents house for pie & a little football!

I've got a ton of pictures to post, so I'm just going to get with it!









We are so grateful for all that we have been blessed with. We are happy, we are healthy and we have the best families in the world! We are grateful for the humbling experiences that we have and for the strength that we glean from each other and those around us. We are also grateful for you all and we hope you are all able to have a very enjoyable Holiday Season!