For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear...
My greatest gift for Christmas this year is our family. While we have been a couple for quite some time (5 and a half years to be exact) this year was different. Being just the girlfriend always made me feel a little bit like an outsider. Now I am officially part of the family and that is a nice feeling. The Heisers are wonderful. Now I am Aunt Deb to all of Terre’s nieces and nephews, which is nice too. We have 11 nieces and nephews on his side and 10 on my side, whenever I need a kid fix I can find it. We spent Christmas eve with his family, and Christmas day with mine.
We were ushers for our church for the entire month of December, so Christmas day was our final call to duty. Ushering at a small church is fun, you get to know all of the regular attendees as well as spend time with the other Ushers so that they you get to know them. Clyde was our head usher and he is a marvelous man, as is his wife. Getting involved in church was a huge step for us this year. We are both very happy to develop our spiritual side and share in fellowship with others. The family at Bethlehem has not disappointed me, unlike some of my other church experiences.
Terre has made the season memorable as well. As usual he showered me with gifts. All of which are special. I don’t know what I would do without him in my life. We are different people, but in some ways so very much alike. For so long I struggled, trying to figure out what I wanted. I was angry and at odds between what I what I wanted and what I needed. I made bad choices because they seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I have done things I am not proud of, and have hurt people I love. My New Year's resolution is to remember all of that and never make the same mistakes again.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend. Happy New Year.
Twas the night before Christmas...
...and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
All the stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In the hope that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.
Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
A miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
A little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick.
And more rapid than eagles his reindeer all came
As he shouted, "Oh Dasher" and each reindeer's name.
And so up to the housetop the reindeer soon flew
With the sleigh full of toys and Saint Nicholas, too.
Down the chimney he came with a leap and a bound;
He was dressed all in fur, and his belly was round.
He spoke not a word but went straight to this work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
Then giving a nod up the chimney he rose.
But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
I've been looking so long at my pictures of you....
This year for Christmas everyone gets pictures of me. It seems a little egotistical now that I have typed it out for the world to see, but regardless of what you asked for from Santa you are guaranteed one picture of me and my husband coming soon to a mailbox near you. We ordered our photo Christmas cards and they should be here by tomorrow. One advantage about having just sent out wedding invites, is that I already have everyone's address.
This is my second attempt at this yearly ritual of "Holiday cards". The last attempt was in 1996 when my brothers and I lived together with the dogs, it was fun, but as always I made it more work than it needed to be. Thanks to Kodak, this year it will be easier, we shall see if it becomes a tradition.
Speaking of Kodak, I am working on wedding photo books for the parents. Last night I spent the entire evening going through wedding pictures, both formal and informal. All the while my husband worked on the house, made dinner, and described to me in the next room what was transpiring on CSI. Did I mention how much I love being married to him? (looking at photos for 6 hours gets me all mushy)
I got most of the prep work done, scanning a bunch of the photos that our families took. I uploaded the whole lot of 'em to a website while I slept so that I could make beautiful parents books. I can't wait to get home so I can put them together. A big thank you to Gwen for telling me about the magical world of website photo processing.
I'm DONE, I'm DONE, I'm DONE
For those of you that have been monitoring my sanity.
I am finished with classwork for Fall semester!
25- page paper... DONE!
2-page critiques of all of our guest speakers... (all 6 of them) DONE!
All I have left is two more classes, my thesis, and Comprehensive exams. Next year at this time I am going to be really done-done... but for now, I am just done.
Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor 44 years ago today. This is was the "day that will live in infamy". What ever your beliefs about war and peace, I think it is important that we remember those who died.
For an history about the attack, including survivor stories go to:
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharborMost people don't remember these significant days in history. Veteran's Day for example, how many people out there really know that it was a day reserved to honor those that serve in the military. The date is significant because of World War I – known at the time as “The Great War”. This war officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 , in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles , France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918 , is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
I wonder that someday September 11 will be forgotten and just become another excuse for a store to have a Patriot's day sale. At least they don't have a "Pearl Harbor Day" sale...
So take a moment to remember those that died that morning in a Oahu harbor.
