Saturday, December 31, 2005

What Was Your First Kiss?

Tell me, what was your first kiss?

Mine tomorrow.

Happiness at the Alter

I've just been to the wedding of a very good friend of ours. We watched with tears of joy in our eyes as he took his bride for life. She was a true vision of loveliness and he was as handsome as ever. I thank God that they found each other. They both waited for a very long time to find a mate and I'm sure they are glad that they waited for the "right" person to come along. May God continue to bless their lives unto eternity. mhn.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Christmas, Anniversary & New Years

Reflections of Christmas and thoughts of our anniversary and the new year are floating in my head today.

I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and if you do not celebrate it; my hope and prayer is that at least your day was enjoyable and spent with loved ones.

We had a very nice time on Friday evening with the family and some of the sil&bil's very good friends. It was really good to see and visit with everyone before we all went our separate ways. Owen had a grand time and we did too.

Christmas was really exciting for us this year because of the boy. He was totally geared up for it this year. He understood the whole gift "thing" and he also understands "why" we celebrate Christmas, as Christians. That makes me really happy that he knows in his head and heart the true meaning of Christmas.

On Christmas Eve I went to two church services. I'm sure you are thinking, "Geeze, MHN wouldn't one service have sufficed?" Why yes, it would have, but I sang at both services, one with the choir and the other as a solo for the opening of the service for a call to worship. It was interesting, both services had the same litergy and songs, but the feeling of the services were completely different. The 7pm service was charged with excitement and the church was almost to capacity, about 350 or more people. The 11pm service was more somber and subdude with probably 150 or so people in attendance. The last song for both services was "Silent Night". We all had candles and they turned off the lights and we sang the song by candlelight and left the sanctuary in silence. It was beautiful.

Christmas Day we went to have dinner at the pil's and visit with more family. It was a most enjoyable day. We called my parents that morning and sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to my mom over the phone. She really liked it and Owen got to talk to her for a bit. We are going to see them on Wednesday and visit with my family.

Thursday is our 15th wedding anniversary. It seems like yesterday that we were walking down the aisle and Dave's friends were telling him, "You know, there's still time...You can back out if you want to..." Fortunately for me, David didn't want to back out on marrying me. He's the most upstanding man, besides his dad & my dad, that I know. I'm a blessed woman. :-)

I think back on our courtship and wedding with such fond memories. Being with David has been easy(mostly) and natural, like breathing. We both feel this way. When we had our troubles around year nine, it felt like neither one of us could breathe until we got things worked out. It was totally worth the time and effort it took to put us back together.

If you have a good marriage, don't take it for granted. If your marriage needs work, then do what you have to to make it work. Remember why you loved each other in the first place and start there. Keep in mind that you chose to be with this person for a lifetime. Be kind to one another, love and cherish this person and treat each other like the gift from God that they are.

This anniversary we got to take our honeymoon trip that we never had. It was a wonderful time and we will get the pictures and the post of the trip up on the blog asap. Thursday we are going to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and have a nice dinner.

With the new year approaching, we look forward to new and exciting prospects for the "Shorts". Owen will start kindergarten in the fall and we will pay my car off in November, Yes!!! In January, Dave goes back to school to continue his "edumacation". He made all "B"'s this past semester, so he is inching up his GPA, come on Suma Cum Laude!!!

When Owen turns 5, in January, we are going to have him tested for the "Vanguard" program. The kid is smart "all the way around", so we want to make sure that he doesn't "fall through the cracks" of the educational system. We have decided to expect nothing but "A"s and "B"'s from him, as we expect that from ourselves. Dave and I were far more intellegent than our grades indicated in school, we were lazy and did only enough to get by. That is not good enough for us anymore and we want the boy to live up to his potential. I just hope that I'm able to find someone who is good at math to help the boy when the time comes... I think I'll have the rest covered. :-)

Well, here's to a spectacular new year and to all things bright and wonderful for you and all those you hold dear! Much love and affection to you all!!!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Christmas Eve is Upon Us

Ah yes, the favoured day of the "shorts" is Christmas Eve. I sing at church and we usually open gifts that night; a tradition started by the hubbies parents to live on until eternity. I love it.

This year everyone is scattered to the winds, so things are are little different. Friday night we are going to the BIL's house to exchange gifts. We will be bringing HUMMUS, ah, there's a hummus among us... My favourite play on words. I think it's funny...

Saturday night the choir is singing at the Candlelight Christmas service at 7pm. My sister and niece are coming to hear me sing. At the midnight vigil, which is actually at 11pm, I will be singing "O Holy Night". I must admit that I rock that song, so much so, that it irritates me to hear a professional do it injustice.


Between the two services, we are having a light dinner at our house. This dinner includes Pumpkin Soup(lovely and savoury), Baked Brie(also savoury), a cheese platter with Gorganzola(Dave will be so surprised!), Swiss, Extra Sharp Cheddar, and a garlicy brie, a baggette, black and white grapes, strawberries(both chocolate dipped ::white and milk chocolate:: and fresh), orange slices, Little Smokies in BBQ sauce, probably some leftover hummus and pita chips. I think that's it.


I'm looking forward to the visit by my sis and niecie-poo. They will be staying the night. I haven't had a really good visit with them since before Paublo died.


I haven't finished shopping yet and none of the gifts are wrapped, which usually is my favourite part. I like to make pretty gifts. Or is it make the gifts pretty...?

Next Wednesday we'll head over to my parents house to exchange gifts with them. Hmmm, I need to go to Wal-Mart to print off a picture of Owen to frame for Mom and Dad...


Anyway, that's pretty much what is going on around here. I hope that your holiday plans are going smoothly and that you are able to enjoy the festivities.

Much love and affection to you all. MHN for short.
xxoo.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Snagged from Cowboy Greg via Tamwil. :-)


You Are Dasher

You're an independent minded reindeer who never plays by the rules.

Why You're Naughty: That little coup you tried to stage against Santa last year

Why You're Nice: You secretly give naughty children presents.

Thoughts for the Rest of the Month

A friend of mine sent this to me and I thought i'd share it with you. enjoy!



Holiday Eating Tips
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you 're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
4. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
5. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

We're Back

We are indeed back from our cruise. It was wonderful. I will have more details and pictures later. love to ya!!!

Monday, December 19, 2005

What Christmas Means To Me

There has been much discussion of Christmas, both on the blogs and in the news. It seems that everyone has their own thoughts and ideas of what Christmas means to them, I am no different.

To the non-believer, Christmas is a nice time to get together with family and friends, have some lovely nosh, exchange presents and in general, be merry.

Some who may take the more cynical approach, think that Christmas was invented by the retailers to make more money. Now while I may agree in theory that some holidays were made for increasing profits; or at least capitalising on the opportunity to increase the revenue, I do know that Christmas has been around long before Bloomingdale's came into the picture.

As most of you know, I am a believer in Jesus the Christ. He is my Lord and Saviour and I am not ashamed to admit it.

To me, as a believer, Christmas time is an opportunity to do all the things a non-believer does in celebration of a wonderful time with family and friends, yet it has a deeper meaning as well.

Christmas is a reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me and for all of those who believe. Christmas is a time of hope and renewal. We have the hope that through faith in the resurrection of Jesus that we will live even after death in heaven with God and all the saints. The renewal is a chance for us to take Jesus into our hearts and make a place for him in our lives. He gives us this chance moment by moment and loves us no matter what we do. If we repent and turn back to Him, he will forgive us and welcome us home with open arms and a loving smile.

The gifts we give remind us of the gifts given to the Christchild by the Wise Men from afar. We celebrate Jesus' birth because this is the beginning of the road to our eternal salvation through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We celebrate Christmas by going to church, singing songs of praise to the Creator and his only Son, asking for forgiveness and the wisdom to correct our mistakes and the strength to try not to make those and new ones in the future; to live a Christ-filled life and love those whom God has put in our lives, for they are there for a reason...

There are a great many things about Christmas that appeal to the masses, but it is not just about tinsel, sparkle and bows, but also the reason for the season and that is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah.

I know that not everyone believes and has the hope of life eternal. I'm not trying to convert anyone who reads this post. I can only share what I believe and tell you what Christmas means to me. I love you all and hope that you have a blessed holiday season with your friends and family. Merry Christmas from MHN for Short. :-)

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Which Musician (or Group) Shares Your Taste in Music?

The Cure Shares Your Taste in Music


See their whole playlist here (iTunes required)



I love the Cure. How did they know???

Cruisin'

This week Dave and I will be going on our first cruise and after 15 years of being married finally getting a very long over due honeymoon.

We head out tomorrow. Owen will be staying with Dave's folks. We'll be back on Saturday. We should have some great pictures to share with you when we get back.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Look To the Right---->

I am so in love with my weather pixie! I think that she's just about the cutest thing on earth. Erm, uh, ok. Bye. :-]

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Boogerish

Is it just me or is Blogger being boogery!???

What To Do, What To Do?

The weather is beautiful and chilly; the wind is stiff, yet refreshing. Here I sit at the computer, as usual, wondering what to write about. After all, we must keep our status on the Creme dela Creme listing... (You need to post often to stay on...)

Today I have several things that NEED to be done. Boring I am sure, but I am going to share them with you anyway. Ha!

I really need to get through all of the laundry so that David and I will have clean clothes to wear on our cruise next week. We are taking a 5 night Western Caribbean cruise starting on Monday and we will be back, hopefully with lots of pictures, on Saturday. I'm going to look for a new mask to put up on my wall. I collect ceramic masks and have a nice collection. Sadly, my favourite mask was broken when the boy was "practising" gymnastics on the "big green chair" in our living room and his foot knocked it off of the wall. I was really upset because it was the most beautiful masks I have and I've had it since I was 15. Mom and I purchased it in the French Quarter market in New Orleans in 1984. So, anyway, I'm in the "market" for another mask. I thought I might glue it back together, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

I also need to go to the store today for extremely domestic items. They are as follows:
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Dishwashing Detergent.
Told you it was boring...

I also need to get a report folder for David today. He turns in his last poetry project tomorrow and has his last exams are on Saturday. Please join me in praying that he does really well and lives up to his potential.

I also want to make cookies today. I have this great Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip cookie recipe that I've been wanting to make for a couple of weeks now. I took the butter and eggs out to get to room temperature. They should be good to go this afternoon.

Well, I am off to get the boy from school and run errands. Such is my life as I know it. Terribly average and mundane it is, but it's mine and I suppose I like it that way, otherwise it would be different. :-)

Friday, December 02, 2005

It Has Come To My Attention

David and I have been discussing our futures, bleak as they seem at the moment, they are on a brighter, happier path. Dave is going back to school as you all know. He and I have been talking about me possibly going back to school to finish my bachelors degree. I was thinking of completing my Sociology degree (I have an Associates in Sociology), Dave thinks that I should pursue a degree in creative writing. Looking at the course load it would take the same amount of time as Sociology and he thinks that I have some natural talent in this area.

You all have read my writing and some of my poetry. Do you think that Dave is on to something here? He says that my writing can only get better. Lord knows it can't get any worse. ;-)

Let me know what you think. I'm curious to see if you think he's right or if my writing is rubbish. Thanks ahead of time for your candor.

A Little Something for the Kiddies

Or maybe just the kid in you. My uncle sent this to me and it was really cute. Owen got a huge kick out of it; "Play it again! Play it again and again and again!" He really had fun with this. :-)

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Finally, the Pictures from Los Angeles

I didn't take just a ton of pictures because we were there last year, but here is what I've got. Enjoy!

Gammie & Owen
This was Gam & O in front of Bob's Big Boy Burger on Wilshure Blvd. Aren't they cute. :-)

Bob's Big Boy - LA
The Big Boy sign.

Gam & O with the Big Boy!
Gam & O with the Big Boy!

HP on a building
This is a poster for HP4 on the side of a building on Hollywood Blvd. I thought we Texans did things big...

Graumann's Chinese Theatre
The front of Graumann's Chinese Theatre. It's a lot smaller than it looks on TV.

The Fountain @ Graumann's
Here is the other side. There is a fountain at the wall. I would have taken pictures of the floor, but there were too many people standing around. The floor has all of the old timey stars feet and hand imprints.

The El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre. The brightest sign on Hollywood Blvd. Ahhh, the lights....I'm dazzled!

Ceiling @ El Capitan
The ceiling in the ticket office area at El Capitan was painted and I thought it was cool.

The Hollywood Sign
This is the Hollywood sign. The picture was taken at the Kodak Theatre.

Kodak Theatre 2
This is where the Oscars are held now. It's a very nice complex. Again, not quite as big as it looks on TV. Here are some pictures of the Kodak Theatre complex.
Elephants at the Kodak
The Elephants are huge! I love them! Here's some more...

Elephants 2

Elephants3

Kodak Theatre Hyroglyphs
Here are Egyptian motif hieroglyphics. I thought that they were neat too. :-)

Owen Posing
Owen posing. "Hey..."

Asian Bible Dancers
These are some Asians evangelising to people at Hollywood and Highland. They were dancing to some Christian music. You find all kinds in Hollywood.

Ripley's Believe It or Not
Ripley's Believe It or Not! You gotta love the dinosaur eating the clock.

Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood Blvd all decked out for Christmas, of course it might be like this all the time. I've only been to L.A. during this time of year...

Virgin Records
The Virgin Megastore!!!!!!!!

Owen Just Before Search
Owen just before his turn at the search. Who could resist such a face???

Owen & Gammie @ Search
Owen and Gam at the search. They are two peas in a pod. I love this photo of them.

Childrens Entertainer
This is the children's entertainer they brought in from Philadelphia. She was like the pied piper. I was wondering, as I was watching the kids that were surrounding her, which kid would start the mosh pit. She let several of the kids "help" her with her songs. Owen was one of those kids.

You couldn't really tell in that picture, but she was lit up like a Christmas Tree.
She was really great with the kids.

We really had a great time on our visit.