Boxes

I'm packing. I have been for the last week. I'm getting tired of it. A few weeks ago Jen and I cleaned out the drawers and the closet and under the beds, so I thought that I had gotten rid of a lot of stuff. I was mistaken. I've already filled 6 banana boxes (one and a half with cds), 4 large plastic bins (two with just books) and have barely finished my bedroom. I still have the bathroom, closet, and stuff people have given or are going to give me to pack still. Blech. And in the middle, I have to work. The reward will be well worth the hard work now, though.

Dale took mom and Jen and I to see the Rockettes tonight at the Bob Carr performing Arts Center. It was phenomanal!! My favorite was the toy soldier act that is so famous the world over. But at the end was the best part...they told the story of Christ's Birth. Complete with camels and sheep. In a day and age where so many people are leaving Christmas out of the season and turning their backs on the people that are hurting the most, it's heartwarming to see the few that are doing what we were commissioned to do. Go out and spread the gospel to everyone. If you can, go and see it before the end of the year.

Full

I am full. Not in the physical manner of eating too much when my family or friends gets togher, but in my soul. I move in to my apartement in a week. I am busily packing all of my childhood memories into boxes again and deciding which of them will be displayed in the space that is soon to be solely mine. I am so excited and so blessed to have people around me that are so willing and wanting to help me in this transitions. Work, while tough in many ways, is going well. I love being able to make such an impact on my patients, and knowing that I somehow touched them.

My siblings are doing well. Drea is pregnant (again!); Kent starts nursing school next month; Jen is busy acting and being a high school student; Mikey boy is growing up. He asked me to wrap a present for a girl that he likes, but asked me to not tell mom. :) I just smiled and remembered the hundreds of times that he and I watched Star Wars and Close Encounters of the the Third "Kite". Josiah is growing and is the apple of my eye. He makes everyone feel all warm and fuzzy when he gives kisses and hugs and sings "LaLa"-- Matthew West's "Thirteen".

My friends couldn't be better. It's been a busy year--Meredith got married, Heather is engaged! I found Jeanne again, and grew closer to my friends at Overflow. We have exploded over the last year! We went from being just 12 of us hanging out on Dave and Rebecca's back porch to about 50 or so getting together every other week and seeing God's hand working in our generation. This is how the church is supposed to look.

God has been teaching me so many lessons. To be content with what I have. To find out who I am before I try to start dragging other people in. To be gracious, because He has been gracious to me. That in spite of my apparent lack of an interesting story, I do have a fantastic story, because God was ther for every step. Discipline isn't as hard to get as I thought it was.

The only thing lacking is the friends that are far away. I wish that ya'll could be here to share--I want so desperately to hear your stories and to laugh and cry with you. I promise that I will do better at updating from now on... ;) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Ya'll!!