Christmas Time is HERE!

So, this past weekend we've jumped chin-deep into Christmas. On Friday night, at BIG Friday a group of us went to an older couples home for a visit. Besides the lovely decorations they had up, and the hot cocoa and cookies they had prepared, the Christmas carols we sung really made me feel like Christmas was here. It was a lovely visit, but by 9:30 PM, we knew it was time to leave. We hurried back to the church and helped make the last few cards for those on our list of "needing a note of encouragement".

Then, Sabbath morning, the praise songs I led with Marella and Debbie were Christmas carols. To hear the whole congregation belting out Silent Night really filled me with the warm spirit of Christmas. And to hear Pastor Jeff preaching about the way Jesus came to my world to understand me, reminded me of what Christmas is all about. A fun evening with young adults at Glow Miniature Golf didn't remind me of Christmas as much as the CROWDED mall we waded through to grab dinner and get to our venue (the mall parking lot rarely fills up, so that was the first sign).Then Sunday morning we picked up my grandparents and headed over the river and through the woods to the Taylor's home for a lovely afternoon of Christmas Tree decorating. We hiked out in the woods, found the tree, cut it down, shaped and trimmed it and then made it beautiful (see pictures).

It was really fun to have some of the family around helping our tree be straight shapely and decorated just right.

Mom hung the stockings while Jack baked fresh chocolate cookies for us to munch on and SMELL!

This is just the beginning of an influx of family time over the next week or so. Wednesday we leave for northern California to do it all again with Jack's family. I'm loving it!

WORD Time

The title of this post could mean several things to you all:
1. I'm a scrabble/word game nerd
2. I'm attempting a gansta'/rapper phrase
3. I can't spell "world" correctly
4. I've had a cool experience in Bible study

And the correct answer is... #4! We started a Friday night Bible study time last week, and it is becoming more and more exciting. Though our attendees have varied from last week to this week, one thing is for sure: we're making time with friends to connect in God's word, and it is have a powerful influence. This influence is rather subtle now, but people cannot say enough good things about this simple gathering. All we do is meet at our humble apartment, find a cozy place on the couch, do a few minutes of sharing about what we have been studying and what questions/passages we want to pursue with the group and then study. It is relaxed, loosly led in the inductive style, and winds down with some practical application. So far we have tackled: The Parable of the Sower and the Parables of the Wheat and Tares, Mustard Seed and Leaven. Check them out for yourself and tell us your thoughts! This week we are looking into the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" as used by Jesus when telling parables. What do you know about this?

Thankfulness

This afternoon as I counted out handouts for an upcoming nutrition class, I decided to listen to Rob Bell. He's the guy who talks on the Nooma videos. A friend from church told me about his podcasts and I've seen the Nooma videos, so no sales pitch was necessary. But as I listened I realized so many things that I have to be grateful for. I'll just list a few:
A loving, God-focused husband
The Bible, as a guide for a growing knowledge of and relationship with God
A community of believers to learn from, support, be challenged by and depend on
A family that cares about me and my needs
A brother who defends my freedom with his own life
A place to live that is reasonably priced, warm, dry, safe, and comfortable
A car that keeps working and doesn't cost much
A weekly celebration of resting in God's grace (Sabbath)
Friends who care and are interested in my life, and have lives that are interesting enough to care about
Physical health to enjoy outdoor recreation
A beautiful place to recreate in
Humor (my own, my husband's, my family's, my friends')
A college education
A desire to continue learning
The love of food, access to ANYTHING I want, ANYTIME, and a few culinary skills I've acquired over the past few years
Really COOL in-laws and a darling niece with red hair and blue eyes
Children (not my own, but friends', family's) and their wonderful example of living care-free and exhuberantly
Music and the ability to create and enjoy it
A job that I REALLY enjoy and am challenged by

I could go on, but I think you get the point. This time of year is one that stirs my awareness of all the blessings in my life. Take time to write your own list, soon.

Another Whirlwind Weekend

The Halo Bride

Bev-Lea

Emily

Me (with my half up beehive)

Sarah, the bride

We've done it again. In Vicki's 100 mph style, we loaded this weekend with lots of fun activities. Friday evening started our wedding phase of the weekend. It all began with our 5 PM rehearsal (not to mention the day of preparation that Jack experienced). We gathered at the Beam Residence, practiced our placement, our walk, our boogie, the music and the kiss (well, they did!). A group dinner of falafel and pita followed, filled our tummies and led to a slumber party with the ladies and bride. The next day (with little sleep) our friend's Zak and Sarah Cooper tied the knot. Sarah was one of the most calm brides I've ever seen. In fact, the "Halo Bride" picture says it all. The only other pictures I have right now are from the salon. It was a GREAT wedding: small, sunny, simple, sentimental and short. The food was great, the guys and gals looked stunning and at the end of the day, they had a wedding celebration they will never forget. It's fun to help friends with momentous events like this!

Smelling the Roses

Linda found the "Queen Linda" tile. These tiles represent the Rose Festival Queens as far back as 1900.

We took a break after our meandering and cuddled close for a group shot.

Shortly after Canadian Thanksgiving, Mel and Linda stopped in town for a few days. It was great to see them (I can hardly believe it's been a few years!). Our activities included eating (Chang's Mongolian Grill), eating again (great place on Hawthorne Blvd), chatting it up and wandering through the lovely Portland Rose Garden. It was a lovely day, the roses were in bloom (which really surprised me), and we were together. I haven't stopped to smell the roses in a while. Probably because I don't have my own to sniff. Of course, when I'm with Denali, her cute sniff gets me to slow down, breathe deep, and look around. The afternoon with Mel and Linda was relaxing and enjoyable, and ended all too soon!

Saved!

It's amazing to think we can be so blind the the real struggle that Jesus experiences over us. The things in this life that rip us away, entice us, fool us, harm us. These things he allows us the freedom to explore, though he is standing by and feeling our pain. And as we begin our journey, in response to his "tugs" on our hearts, he risks EVERYTHING to bring us back to safety. I was truly moved by this dramatization.

This post was inspired by the following video:

New Job Bliss

It has been a while since I last posted and I really do feel badly. Vicki is keeping me in check (as much as she can without physically MAKING me blog on a regular basis) simply by threatening to remove our blog as a link on their page. Ouch! So, I am trying to make this a more regular thing. Today, I have a good reason to blog too!

I'm one week into a brand new job. I've told a few of you about it... and I love working in my home county! I'm so thrilled to be here. I've been able to take walks during lunch on the beautiful grounds. A few things I get to enjoy are: a wildlife botanical garden, featuring dahliahs, food, and other pretty things, a large wooded area with winding trails, wildlife (I saw 3 deer my second day) and quietness (no zooming cars, scary crosswalks, etc.).

I'll write more later...