"the movie is better"

So, thanks to those who gave your movie recommendations! Such fun! And you all had good ones, it was definitely hard to pick-especially since Brett and I are great lovers of books ( and movies)...but in the end we decided on Peter Pan, and this version in particular because it does much greater justice to the book ( which is beautiful) and I think this movie is also...if you haven't seen it, I think you'll like-I think it strikes at the heart of a child's desire for 'fairy tale' and imagination as well as the struggle to grow up-which, lets face it, I still struggle with. ;-)

The other movie picks this time were FireFox, with Clint Eastwood, which my brother-in-law picked, and it was an enjoyable little spy/action flick-and I probably wouldn't have watched it if I hadn't been at this movie event, so that's always nice.... broadening the horizons or something.
My parents chose Enchanted April, which was a nice change of pace-basically this movie is the earlier counterpart to all those "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "A Good Year" kind of movies about going on an Italian vacation to 'find what's missing'-this movie is sadly not out on DVD in the USA ( only VHS!)-but my readers in NZ are in luck! It is out where you are, strangely enough...but, I will say this...if you want a really wonderful entertaining/light-hearted/comical/romantic novel to read on your next rainy day or beach vacation-go get any of Elizabeth von Arnim's books, I promise you will not be disappointed!
Steve and Billie chose The Bourne Identity, which Steve had stayed up late for a week to read so that he could use it for his choice ( he got the Most Dedicated the the Marathon Award for this!), and of course it was worth it-the Bourne movies are soooo good, and I stand by the fact that the Bourne Identity is the best one because the film makers did not insist upon doing that jumpy all over the place shooting style that leaves me dizzy and carsick. Great movie.
And then, we ended with the "Bonus Movie" which both Ryan and Brett had wanted to watch, The Count of Monte Cristo-which is the perfect action/adventure to end the evening on! And while its hard for me to recommend this book since I havent read it ( you'll have to ask Brett on this one!), I DO recommend this movie, I find it satisfying every time I watch it!

So there you go! I ate more today than I did on Thanksgiving and Christmas combined-mostly because I never say no to Pizza and cheese balls....or chocolate for that matter-and we somehow ended up with leftovers even after 12 hours of movies and eating ( we had to take a break to walk around the block two times! hahaha!) ....but I suggest all of you start Movie Marathon Leftover Parties whereever you are, I promise it'll be a hit! ;-)

Time in a Bottle

As of today, I have exactly one week left in Texas before heading off into the unknown abyss that is shaped like Washington State. Well, that might be a little too dramatic-Not everything is unknown, I know that I'm suppose to go back to Washington because I need to continue to learn from the Navigator ministry at Fort Leiws and from the many good friends that Brett and I made during our time living there, I also know its rainy and dark and cold in the winter ( and apparently snowy this time around!) I know that the summers have long long days ( which is great) and that I'll be able to eat Indian food any time I want. So, some things are known. The unknown things just consist of those pesky little problems like "a place to live" and a "job", but I'm sure it'll all happen just as it should. So, until that adventure starts lets finish this one strong:

I can hardly believe that I've been in Texas for a month and a half! How wonderful to be able to tick that time of Brett being away surrounded by such Texas Loving! But, I'm not leaving quite yet, and I still have a few more good times left to go- For instance, today is the annual Movie Marathon and Leftovers Party...which is a highly intricate and involved party that has rules and such. Basically, each year we come up with a theme ( last year it was science fiction...obviously it was the boys year to pick) and then each "family unit" picks a film and then we all get together and watch our picks and eat all the leftovers we have from Christmas and beyond. This year the theme is "Book to Film Movie Adaptations"- Brett and I have already picked out our movie, but I'm curious to hear what YOU would want to watch....the only rule was that you had to have read the book and no comic books allowed ( this was mostly because we'll more than likely have a comic book year in the future)..... tell me your picks! Picking the perfect film is half the fun!!

Anyway, I'm putting on my stretchy yoga pants ( so I can eat more in comfort) and headed out for my day of fun, I only wish Brett could be here. I get little waves of sadness and missing him, but I think overall that's probably good and normal.

Retro(spect)

So, I just "edited" ( as in formated it so that it would be printable) Brett's thank you letter to my church here in Nacogdoches. (They sent him four boxes jam packed with yummy things and gifts of love that lifted his spirits)....Anyway, his letter is beautiful and everyone who is lucky enough to get his mass emails is so in for treats in this coming year ( and if you DON'T get them, feel free to let me know, and I'll make sure you get one)....this is one of the many hundred million reasons why I'm glad he's my husband. His heart is reflected in his written word.

He's the greatest. His heart is why I married him.

one for the road..

Some mouth open pictures can not be helped...this one is hysterical.

Glory Revealed

Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD ;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken

And so it was....Merry Christmas, my dearest Blog-Readers.

Suitcase living.

I'm currently living out of a suitcase. Although, I've mostly unpacked the suitcases and most of my clothes are hanging in a closet. However, I still have things like PJs and undies that really have no need to be hung up and so I have fashioned one of my suitcases into a "drawer". And this brings me to my point. I'm terrible with drawers.
No matter how big the drawer might be, or how little I might have to actually put into a drawer, or how organized I might be, or how tidy I might have everything folded- I always end up with an incredibly MESSY drawer. Always. It does not take long for everything to get all bunched up together and stuffed in, then things start getting "losted" at the bottom and other things start to get more and more wrinkly and therefore I wear them less and less ( because everyone hates to iron!!)...thus are the state of my drawers.

But, I'm starting to think that it is also the state of other parts of my life too....
I think its time to take everything out and look at it, spread out all the worries and the wrinkles and then put it back in its proper place.

Literally Speechless

Last night my current cold took me to a new level and I lost my voice. Straight up, I was left with nothing but a squeak and a whisper. And today, today is no better. The worst part is that Brett called me this morning, after several days of not hearing from him, and all I could do was whisper into the phone. I think he could hear me relatively well, but its actually HARD to whisper loudly for long spirts of time. And its especially hard when you're talking to your husband and you really just want him to be next to you.

The end.

No, not really....really, the saddest thing about this past week is that I'm trying to write Brett my weekly "Sunday Letter", which I usually fill with all the spiritual insights that I get throughout the week, as well as all the things that I have not either already blogger about or told him about over the phone ( as you can imagine that's hard to come up with!), but this week....this week, I've got nothing! I've totally dried up on Spiritual insight. Which, is of course, my own fault. I'd like to blame the fact that I've had some variation of head cold all week long, but that's not a good reason. And now, now I'm left without either of my voices. The writers voice and the speaking one! :-(

nostalgia

Tomorrow the Abt Family Four are driving to Cleburne Texas. This is significant on several levels. We have probably not been anywhere just the four of us since 2000 ( the year Anna got married). And going to Cleburne in December is seriously one of the clearest family memories of my youth.
Cleburne, Texas is where my Dad's family always was and it was where I personified Christmas in the form of Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and Grandmother and Granddangy ( although he was always slightly scary).
Anyway, I'm kind of excited about just having the four of us take a car trip together, and I'm excited about McDonalds breakfast ( which is an important part of roadtriping in my family) and I'm excited about seeing wonderful family whom I love. And I'm excited about Christmas.

Today, I watched Elf until I fell asleep half way though ( I totally blame my cold, because I totally love this movie and had no reason to fall asleep.), but I think this movie deserves serious props for jumping so quickly into my "classic christmas movie" section. But, oh how delightful Will Farrell is as Buddy the Elf! How delighted and happy and cheerful he is!

If you haven't seen this movie this Christmas season I suggest you go watch it pronto, it'll make you smile. ( besides, Baby, its Cold Outside is my current favorite holiday song-and the version in this movie is extra great.)

Boxed in.

-I am not good at wrapping presents. I need to take a class or something to teach me how to make them look a pretty like they do in the stores. :-(

-I sent Brett a package when he first got to A-stan and he thought he was going to be in one place and then, surprise! things changed...so of course, yesterday, I got that box back...it was battered and beaten and had obviously been to hell and back, yet...there it was with all the goodies still inside. I suppose I'm happy I got it back, but it makes me sad that it'll be another month before Brett sees it.

-My cold is still going strong. Last night it woke me up every few hours because of the lack of oxygen. Apparently breathing does not come so naturally after all.

-Today I'm cooking curry. Take that you silly sinuses!

-I'm worried that my last few christmas presents aren't going to arrive in time! BOOOO!

-I'm going to visit my Aunt Donnave and Uncle Jim on Saturday. I'm excited not only to see them, but that my sister is now coming too! It's a real party now!

-I have had to many days and too few quiet times. This does not equal greatness.

Swallow.

It happened. I caught a winter cold. I was so hoping this wouldn't happen...and I've been taking vitamins religiously, but somehow I came in contact with some wayward germ on Sunday and woke up with a sore throat yesterday. Blah. Today its gotten so intense, I stop everything I do to swallow and then wince.
I hate it when it hurts to swallow. How many times to do you really need to swallow in day?! Answer: too many.

In other news its cold everywhere today. Each morning I wake up and I check the weather on my phone. My phone has this feature where you add the weather forecast of all the places you want to keep up with, therefore I check the weather here in Texas, followed by where Brett is in A-stan, followed by Washington ( because I get immense satisfaction of knowing that I'm missing out on bad weather...hahaha!), followed by Kansas ( this is only because I just haven't gotten around to taking it off my list).....Anyway, today it is cold in ALL these places, and if I were not bent upon going to the Senior Center with my grandfather for lunch I would totally stay in bed all day long reading my book. But, who can pass up good company and Senior Center action?! Not I.

Besides there are errands to run, and important things to be mailed. ;-)

Behind Door Number One...

So, yesterday I was talking to an old boss and he asked me to do a little favor/work for him back at the job I had in 2004-2005....and I accepted, not just because I really like this particular boss, and now consider him a good friend, and doing a favor for him on a not-so-busy day seemed like a good thing, but also because I felt like it was "important"...and it turned out to be just that....I learned a little lesson!

Now, to learn this lesson properly I had to look behind a door that God had closed in my life, the door of a past job....In chatting with my former boss I learned a lot about the time that transpired after I left three years ago ( whoa!) and in my mind throughout the whole conversation- I was thanking God that I left when I did! And then, on the drive home I started to think about all the other jobs that God has given me over the years and then consequentially "taken away"....and I was delighted to see His beautiful provision for me! With each job I saw that while it has served me terribly well while I was there ( I am happy to say I've had good experiences at all my jobs so far), the job seemed to take a significant turn every time I left..... job descriptions changed, money got tight, positions and businesses changed hands...all in all, I am truly amazed that while at the time I only saw that my door was shutting, I had NO IDEA why it was shutting and yet now I can look back and see just how perfect God's plan really was! In fact, more than ever it makes me feel like each of the jobs I've had have been more than just "work" or a "way to pay the bills"...but a perfect little package wrapped up for me at just the time and place that I needed it.
For instance, at this particular job that I revisited today...I was given tons o' free time and therefore had all kinds of time to blog and write emails-thus snaring a certain husband ( in the long run)...awesome.

hahaha!

This little lesson encouraged me greatly, it encouraged me for A and for T, both of whom are dealing with various "job woes" at the moment...that God has a reason and a plan for both of them...and selfishly, it encouraged me for my own future. I am down right excited to see what adventure-job wise- God is going to take me on in the coming year! I look forward to seeing just exactly what He has in mind for me next! All my jobs have been a bit random and have had little to do with my degree ( that money was NOT wasted however! hehehe!), but each one has had important life experiences and beautiful people involved. The question is, what is behind door number FOUR?!

People shaped holes.

This weekend I was suppose to go to a wedding....Instead, I ended up going to a funeral. Odd change of plans, don't you think? But, isn't that just the way life works? It can be so terribly unpredictable that I think most of us don't think about all the things that could happen to us in a given day, or we'd all go insane ( or at least that's my guess...).

However, this afternoon when I was saying goodbye to one of the most remarkable ladies I've had the privilege of knowing... I say this because I knew her only towards the middle/ end of her life and those years were so full of generosity and kindness and a general sweetness of spirit, that is often lacking late in life. So, here I am in the relative "morning" years of my own life and I can only pray that I might finish my race as strong as she did. Anyway saying my goodbyes to this wonderful woman, Helen Kinnaird, got me thinking....
She truly was someone to aspire to, and more than that she's no longer on this earth. And I really do feel some sort of hole has been left behind in her place. She has also left behind a standard of what a gracious woman of God should look like, and in her absence I think we are called to step up. Now, of course, this seems personal-as in only a call to those who knew this lovely lady...but I promise that it's even bigger than that!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Never before had I thought of all the large holes that the "cloud of witnesses" have left behind as they have left this world in such a personal way! But it is personal! Imagine a wonderful prayer warrior fighting away in their prayer closet for hours at a time, days on end, imagine how many lives they have interceded for over the years! And, then imagine that this person passes away....WHO is praying for those on that person's list?! Who is witnessing to the lost? Who is loving the loveless? Who is binding up the wounded hearts, when those who have lived and then died for the world around them pass on?

I suppose what I'm saying, is that instead of looking to the saints that walk before me in my life now as well as those who have already gone before me into the next as just "inspiring people"...I should instead take it to task that the holes they leave behind must be filled!
Where are tomorrow's Hudson Taylors, Charles Spurgeons, D.L. Moodys....where are the new Amy Carmichaels...or even just tomorrow's Helen Kinnairds? That cloud of witnesses is not just there to speak of all that the Lord has done in their day, but to remind me what He can do through me in my day....

Today that cloud of witnesses got a little bigger, it has one more shining face to cheer the rest of us on, and onward we should go! In so many ways I need to grow in order to be one day called "kind" or "gracious" or "patient", but there is a hole and for now I am called to fill it....are you?

People Priorities.

Its been a rough two days. Yesterday was spent with this odd sensation that something was wrong-mainly that Brett was gone....who knows why some days are harder than others but that seems to be the case....And then today, today Mrs. Kinnaird passed away...
Now, for those of you who don't know the run down of my "family", basically Steve and Billie are my parents best friends since college and my second set of parents and Mr. and Mrs. Kinnaird are Steve's parents and I consequently I have known them my whole life. And today "Mr. Kinnaird" ( yes, I call them this...it seems to be formal, but some how its not...) said goodbye to his wife.
And I accidently typed "life" and I think that might have been closer to the truth.

I think it is truly a beautiful thing to have been married for 50 years and still delight in someone so very much. I am thankful that the Lord gives us gifts like that. A husband or a wife. Or even just a friend. And that while we are on this earth, we are given such relationships. We are in fact, told in scripture just how important those around us really are and we are given perfect directions on how to keep such relationships where they should be, priority:

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." ~Romans 12:9-13

I love how the "serving the Lord" part is so mixed in with all those interpersonal relationship commandments. I love how we are to be devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints and how even those two are very much connected ( who are you praying for these days?) and how we are to give preference to one another....but above all, I have come to learn that I can do very little of any of the above things without first going to Christ. I know that the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Kinnaird was firmly grounded in Him first and foremost and that above all else is where those 50 years of love and respect came from...
During this so called "giving" season I wonder if I'm really doing these things like I really should, if I'm giving of myself to others even in the smallest of ways, am I doing it in my own strength, or is that Strength coming from above?

I'm pretty sure I could spend the rest of my days focused on those five verses in Romans and still have more to learn. Today is a good day to start....

Feminist wiles.

I'm a really spoiled person. This is made self-evident on a daily basis on this blog, so I won't go into it too much now. But one of the most delightful ways that I've been spoiled is by having a really wonderful husband who, through the following every day actions has made me miss him even more than is humanly possible (I've moved on to super-human missing powers now). I have also realized that through all of the spoiling I have become far less of an "independent" woman than I was back in the day....

A list of things I miss:

1. Having car doors opened for me.-Who knew that I liked this so much? In fact, sometimes I thought it annoyed me because it slowed down the process of us getting somewhere...but no, turns out, I liked it.

2. Putting my cold, cold feet on a warm, warm body. This is especially important this time of year. *sigh*

3. Hand massages. Feet massages. I hate to brag, but I pretty much had one a day ( if not more). Yes, Brett is a saint.

4. Dishes got magically washed. Brett washed dishes. He said this was because I cooked the meals, but lets not lie....he also worked like twenty hours a DAY so...Really, I should have washed the dishes....

5. He ate Little Caesars Pizza with me. And he liked it. Today I was totally craving a LC, but I had no one to eat it with, and lets not lie...if I'd gotten one the chances of me eating the ENTIRE thing alone were high. So, in the end, no Pizza for Abigail.

6. Hand-holding. I'm a fan.

7. Having doors opened for me. Honestly, I don't think I lifted anything heavier than a remote control in the whole year we were married....even when we moved I hardly lifted a finger. This became strikingly clear when I had to lift all KINDS of heavy items when moving all my things from Kansas to Washington all by myself. I have become a weakling.

So, kids....its been over a month since Brett left. That leaves us with around 11 more such months to go. Hopefully, somewhere around month two I'll gain back my independence ( since I'm gonna seriously need it when I go back to Washington!), but I really don't think I'm going to get over my strong desire of seeing that slow quiet smile sneak across Brett's face when you talk to him. Yeah. I miss that more than the foot massages and the pizza. ( shocking I know).

A little Cheer

So, I spent a goodly portion of the day with my mother-in-law decorating for Christmas. I actually really love decorating trees for Christmas and nativity scenes, candles and twinkle lights....they are all pretty much the greatest, so what's not to love? But, it was extra special getting to spend some quality time with Mary and to be productive in a small way....lately I've been thinking about how I haven't held down a 'real' job in going on six months and how when that happens to a person you really have to evaluate your life in a new way. Instead of counting your job as your way of "contributing" to the world around you and then going home to veg on your couch, I've had to be more creative, I've had to think harder about ways in which I can "benefit" society....Not to say I was a total blob when I had a job, but not having one has taught me a lot about patience and being obedient ( to God's will for my life) and relying on God for my self-worth. It's been an interesting journey! And my two dear friends who are currently jobless and feeling blue: Girls, I'm praying for you! It's rough but good will come from it! Promise!
Wait, so what were we talking about?
Ah yes, decorating for Christmas.
Good times, and I had fun hanging out with my cute four-year-old nephew too. He's great about playing by himself, so listening to him blabble on and on to himself is adorable! We also made marshmallow monsters together out of marshmallow, toothpicks and raisins , so all in all I'm hoping I can get into his good graces by the time I leave again in January! I really wish I could be a more hands on aunt to all my nephews and niece-but being a far away Aunt is not as cool. :-(

In other news, Christmas shopping and another wedding to prepare for this weekend! Life is a whirlwind, when would I have time for a job?!? ;-)

Forward.

So, I had quite the weekend. It was stock full of crazy stories....like how my sister and I got swindled and had $100 taken from us. Or how I got stuck behind a million jingle-bell runners and almost missed a wedding, or how I went down a one way street the wrong way ( Aunty D would understand...hehehe!), or how we stayed in a "fancy hotel" that had terrible service and loud rooms....but, I'm going to just blow over those minor details and get to the good stuff....

Brett's dear friend Denny got married to his adorable wife Laura ( who looked gorgeous beyond belief)...and I got to witness it and soak in all of Brett's sweet friends from his college days. All of whom were terribly gracious and made me feel right at home.

Annnnd, I came home to the exciting news that one of my greatest friends in all the world has started....a blog.

So, in honor of said event I got the idea that, just like books have forwards written by friends and colleagues, I think that blogs need the same thing ( its one of the greatest oversights of the blogging world) so, without being asked I'm going to go ahead and write a forward to "Keeping the End in Mind", a new blog for a new beginning.

"I meet the author when she was just a name and a little black and white school picture in my roster of students in my care as a House Tutor ( resident assistant). I remember thinking that she sounded just like a heroine out of a great children's book ( her name is seriously perfect for a book!) and I was delighted to find that upon meeting her she was most definitely "bookish"....and we would soon become acquaintances that bonded over reading Jane Austen and the tendency to fall both down and UP stairs. As the years went by our relationship changed, she became a Christian AND a fellow house tutor and we had even more in common but just when our friendship was beginning to take root a big change was happening in my life. I left New Zealand.
All of a sudden all of my friendships were forced into the Long Distance category. So, many friendships faded and many found a happy middle ground where we kept in touch and always knew that when we saw each other face to face things would "still be the same", a few stayed strong as my very best friends, but only one can I honestly say blossomed through new found separation... Here was a friendship that did not fade. A friendship that did not settle in. This was a friendship that, against all odds, grew. Remarkably enough our friendship has grown through the written word and almost entirely the written word. Since 2004 I think we've talked on the phone a hand full of times and seen each other face to face twice. Yet, through hundreds and hundreds of beautiful letters-mostly in response to my own blog posts- I saw one of the most beautiful people I've ever had the privilege of knowing. Even though I had been a Christian for many years, reading her tales of discovering the Scriptures for the first time gave me chills. She would see beauty in the smallest details of life and could fine Analogies for Christ in the most every day circumstances that would give me a new perspective on the very life I lived. Her emails were no less than drops of Life.
In my Bible I have two letters from her that I'd printed out and re-read many times. I've quoted her on this blog more than anyone else. So, one could say she did, in fact, turn out to be a Heroine in a book, gifted in the written word-she has changed my life, and I am delighted that she'll now be writing in a more public forum so that you may all share in the next Chapter of her life when, she too, will leave New Zealand.
I have a feeling life will never be the same....

My husband's friends.

When you get married, there is this weird moment when all of a sudden you inherit each others friends and family.... and you wonder,

"Will they like me?! Will they secretly wonder what Brett is doing with me? Will they wish things were back the way they were before I was around or will they accept me and look to a future of fun with ALL of us together?!"

And for the most part my fears haven't been realized ( minus one or two people who I'm still working on, but don't you worry...I will not give up that easily! You WILL like me! YOU WILL! )...and in fact, along the way I've found some of my favorite people amongst Brett's friends and family ( which seems only right, since Brett, himself, is so great...). Yet, when your husband goes off to war, there is a small part of you that wonders, "How will the dynamics between us change?"
And, I gotta say, one of the most interesting things has been seeing how Brett's friends have dealt with his being gone. I think the most touching of all the responses to Brett's departure have been those who are bent upon "filling his role" while he's away.... things like opening doors for me, wanting to know about my safety, and pleading with me to "move into an apartment before they go to Ranger school so they can help me move." ( how many people do YOU know who plead to help you move?), and all going out of their way to make sure that my life is as smooth as possible.
Anyway, I found this incredibly sweet and endearing that not only would these guys be so gracious towards me, but I think its also a pretty cool testimony of what a great husband Brett is, how else would these guys know that these would be things that would be missing from my life while he was away? That they would love Brett enough to be so considerate of me even though he's not around, is also very touching. I definitely think its been a very nice way for them all to honor Brett, and I must admit that from my perspective, I am so grateful...I know for a fact that my life has been easier this last month knowing that I don't have to do everything myself, even though my hubby is gone! ;-)

I think the other great testimony to Brett is just how comfortable many of his friends have made me feel, even though I've known them a pretty short amount of time! I have to admit that I'm actually excited about going to a wedding this weekend for Brett's college friend's Denny and Laura. I feel like I know these people!! And I can't wait to see them, and even though I could say that I'm going to quiz them on how they are doing because I'm going to pass it on to Brett ( which I will) ...I actually honestly enjoy these people and care about them! When I first met Brett's group of friends back when we were first engaged it was one of those defining moments in our relationship when it was once again affirmed in my mind that we were perfect for each other, I felt like if at that moment we could somehow meld my college friends and his college friend together they would have all gotten along. Ahhhh, in a perfect world....hehehe! Anyway, all that to say...I miss Brett. And I know his friends and family do as well, luckily we all have each other to celebrate all his great qualities and talk about our memories with him together and most of all anticipate him coming back to us all safe and sound next year!

Early New Years Resolution

After a few key pictures taken over the past holiday, I have made a life changing observation....I open my mouth too much in pictures.
Its true.

You all know it, don't even deny it.

Anyway, I've decided for my New Years Resolution, I'm going to refrain from posing for pictures with my mouth open ( this does not include spontaneous pictures with my mouth open-which also happens a lot-I feel like that's asking too much. )

I know its going to be hard, since after trying hard to break my habit of "tilt head, smile" thing that I did all through high school and college...I went right on into this new annoying habit of "mouth open shot".....you'll notice I even did it at my wedding for heaven's sake!

Anyway, in memory of my many many moments with my mouth agape....I've put together a little slide show of me with my mouth open for you to all enjoy and make fun of.

*ahem*

Sorry about yesterday and my disgruntled post....its really weird how over the top I can get about little things-well, not little things...mostly just things that have to do with my communication with Brett. There is so little I feel I can do for him that I get really OVER THE TOP about the little that I can. ahhhhh weelllll....I always said this blog would show you the whole picture of me...that includes the mini-tiads.

So, yesterday I was really productive in the end, even with all the annoying people getting in my way, and I ended the day with a freezing cold three mile run with my sister ( honestly, my legs turned into bright red icicles, followed by with dinner and hot tea with Christa and then Messiah rehearsals, followed by a mini-reunion with my Bible Study girls from back in 2004-2006 ( all of us are doing the Messiah together! such fun!) which was interrupted by a much anticipated phone call from Brett ( see more about him at the bottom of this email)....then I went home and watched Hors de prix ( Priceless), a fantastic little French movie...Honestly, go watch this! Audrey Tautou is still beyond adorable to watch....all in all, good ending to a day. :-)

Brett news: He is back from their time out evaluating a A-stan army brigade. Brett was the humvee driver for most of the trip so he didn't get to 'get out and do much' for much of the trip, but he said he felt like it was a good experience for his team to see what they're going to be up against once the team they're replacing leaves....he also said he was going to try to go to a Bible Study this evening ( its probably over with by now!) and so I'm looking forward to hearing how that went! Its weird, but after talking to him I always forget almost everything he says...I am just SO EXCITED to be talking to him during the conversation that I'm not taking notes like I should ;-) Hopefully this is something I will get better at as time goes on....

In other news: I booked by tickets back to Washington yesterday, looks like I'll be heading back Jan. 5th, which means I'll be back just in time to start up the new year of Navigator Tuesday night bible studies! To be honest, I'm nervous about going back...finding a job, a home, and trying hard to learn more about ministry....it all seems like a weighty mission! But, I'm excited and I really think we made the right decision about me going back for the rest of this year without Brett....

***This just in!!! I now know what kinda baby my friend Amy is having ( thank goodness for text messages during ultrasound appointments)!!! Now I can hardly wait to go back to Washington so I can help plan this babies new life!! Yay for living vicariously through others! :-)

Attention Holiday Shoppers:

I don't like you.
I don't like that you're making my life a lot more complicated. I don't like that you're getting in the way of me sending my husband things in the mail. I don't care about you and your christmas cards. I only care about my husband getting a letter from me. The US postal service should really have a priority line JUST for me....

I also don't like Wal Mart. What in the world are all you people buying?! And why is your cart blocking the photo machine that lets me print out pictures of Thanksgiving to send to my husband....who is in A-stan, might I add.... Get your cart out of the way, you aren't even USING the photo machine, you're looking at ugly plastic earrings in the next aisle over. Obviously, this recession that the USA is in, is not stopping you from milling around parking lots and stores and therefore making my day a lot more annoying.

Bah-humbug.

*ahem*

I have low blood sugar and I miss Brett. ;-)