Catching Up and some Good Reads
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Y'all.
December very nearly did me in.
Truly, I woke up every day wondering how I'd get it all done and assessing how much I still had to do. For most of the month my head felt like it was spinning faster than those Chinese acrobats spin those plates high on a pole balanced on their chin while riding a unicycle. Which is how I felt most of the days of December.
I may have dropped a few plates.
But my reward for all the juggling was the week I just spent in Arizona with my family. I'm so grateful for our time together, and even though we sorely missed two family members, one of whom will be delivering a baby in just a few weeks--yea!--we still managed to have a laugh or two.
Here are a couple of highlights.
Julia, who I continue to insist will NOT be getting her driver's permit this spring, learned to drive. I think she should stick to golf carts for at least a couple of years, don't you?
Some of us took an amazing hike in the mountains overlooking Tucson. And may I just say that I'm kind of proud of myself for climbing 1,000 feet over two miles and not feeling absolutely pathetically sore the next day? I'm tough like that.
Here's the view from the top. So cool.
And here's Julia and me, resting on the way down.
We saw Les Miserables on Christmas Day. I'm not sure I've ever gone to a movie on Christmas Day, but this one was worth breaking tradition for. Oh my! Talk about being wrung out after a movie. And every day since, I wake up with a different Les Mis song in my head. Definitely go see it.
Finally, I just want to say how very grateful I am that the Cousins Christmas tradition continues. It's getting trickier as girls graduate and head off to "real" jobs. This year Kira, my niece, flew in late on Christmas Eve and had to go back on the day after Christmas, but she made it and we all loved being together.
Next year? Who knows. All I know is that when the girls were young they came to us and said that they had talked it over and decided that even when they have husbands they always want to have Cousins Christmas.
I hope it continues.
Anyway, here is the whole bunch of cousins, beautiful girls all, and their amazing grandparents, known to me as Mom and Dad. I love this picture so much!
The Christmas festivities continue on Sunday when we host my husband's family here. More cousins, more food, and more fun!
In the meantime, I've been getting caught up on some blog reading and found a couple of posts I want to share with you. Enjoy these Good Reads!
Goodbye 2012: Living with the End in Mind :: Josh Moody. This is a great post from my pastor, Josh Moody, reminding all of us to live intentionally in the year ahead.
I wish every church said what this church says in its bulletin :: Jon Acuff. Wow. Thought-provoking. Challenging. Convicting.
3 things Zig Ziglar told me at lunch :: also Jon Acuff. Oh, if only we could all remember these three simple truths. Think of how the world would change.
Where Was God in All the Goodness of 2012? :: John Piper. So many of us tend to look at all the bad in the world and ask, "Where was God?" This post puts a different spin on that. A spin I much prefer.
I'll be back on Monday with some kind of recap of 2012 post. Until then, enjoy your weekend!
And now, how about YOU? Tell me something about your Christmas in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.
December very nearly did me in.
Truly, I woke up every day wondering how I'd get it all done and assessing how much I still had to do. For most of the month my head felt like it was spinning faster than those Chinese acrobats spin those plates high on a pole balanced on their chin while riding a unicycle. Which is how I felt most of the days of December.
I may have dropped a few plates.
But my reward for all the juggling was the week I just spent in Arizona with my family. I'm so grateful for our time together, and even though we sorely missed two family members, one of whom will be delivering a baby in just a few weeks--yea!--we still managed to have a laugh or two.
Here are a couple of highlights.
Julia, who I continue to insist will NOT be getting her driver's permit this spring, learned to drive. I think she should stick to golf carts for at least a couple of years, don't you?
Some of us took an amazing hike in the mountains overlooking Tucson. And may I just say that I'm kind of proud of myself for climbing 1,000 feet over two miles and not feeling absolutely pathetically sore the next day? I'm tough like that.
Here's the view from the top. So cool.
And here's Julia and me, resting on the way down.
We saw Les Miserables on Christmas Day. I'm not sure I've ever gone to a movie on Christmas Day, but this one was worth breaking tradition for. Oh my! Talk about being wrung out after a movie. And every day since, I wake up with a different Les Mis song in my head. Definitely go see it.
Finally, I just want to say how very grateful I am that the Cousins Christmas tradition continues. It's getting trickier as girls graduate and head off to "real" jobs. This year Kira, my niece, flew in late on Christmas Eve and had to go back on the day after Christmas, but she made it and we all loved being together.
Next year? Who knows. All I know is that when the girls were young they came to us and said that they had talked it over and decided that even when they have husbands they always want to have Cousins Christmas.
I hope it continues.
Anyway, here is the whole bunch of cousins, beautiful girls all, and their amazing grandparents, known to me as Mom and Dad. I love this picture so much!
The Christmas festivities continue on Sunday when we host my husband's family here. More cousins, more food, and more fun!
In the meantime, I've been getting caught up on some blog reading and found a couple of posts I want to share with you. Enjoy these Good Reads!
Goodbye 2012: Living with the End in Mind :: Josh Moody. This is a great post from my pastor, Josh Moody, reminding all of us to live intentionally in the year ahead.
I wish every church said what this church says in its bulletin :: Jon Acuff. Wow. Thought-provoking. Challenging. Convicting.
3 things Zig Ziglar told me at lunch :: also Jon Acuff. Oh, if only we could all remember these three simple truths. Think of how the world would change.
Where Was God in All the Goodness of 2012? :: John Piper. So many of us tend to look at all the bad in the world and ask, "Where was God?" This post puts a different spin on that. A spin I much prefer.
I'll be back on Monday with some kind of recap of 2012 post. Until then, enjoy your weekend!
And now, how about YOU? Tell me something about your Christmas in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.
