Christmas is coming the goose is getting... cheese?

Well hello!

Long time no 'C'!  And no other letters either... (hahaha... ok lame joke)

I have been completely ignoring my computer... what with the end of school, trying to time out of keyboarding(which was unsuccessful....)  and getting ready for Christmas I have had no time to spend on the computer, much less find the time(or inclination) to update this here blog.

I have been finding myself a little frustrated about getting ready for Christmas this year.   I had most of my Christmas shopping done in November(the important stuff...my hubby hehe) and feel like I've made no progress since.  I have been trying to figure out what my job is as wife this year... Write Christmas cards, check.  Make sure I know what relatives of his need presents, check.  Get husband to tell me what it is we need to buy for said relatives.... harder than it looks. :D  Mail Christmas cards, what?  I decided rather last minute that it might be nice to send a portrait of us to his family(and mine) in the Christmas cards and they aren't ready until the 20th(a Saturday) so I won't be able to send them out until Monday(the 22nd) and that's if I have postage(which I don't at present)....  Make hook latch rug(which I intend to turn into a big pillow...) which is huger than it looked on the box, and now I only have 6 days left to finish hooking, finish it off, make it into a huge pillow somehow and wrap it. :) (p.s. I am not even half done... and I got it.....10 days ago?)  That's while I'm trying to Drag(quite literally) my husband out shopping with me for the last things on the list(his family and friends) and doing what I love most... Wrapping!

Wrapping things is easily the best thing ever.  And I totally get to do it, because the majority of my family doesn't care about wrapping(and are lazy enough to love having someone else do it) and my Mom, she lets me do it cause I love it, and that's how Mom's are.  (She may also be under the false impression that I'm better at it than she is.... crazy Mommy.)

It has actually been snowing here on the lovely island.... and the locals are in a frenzy.... hahaha, okay it's not that bad.  But it is the most talked about topic at the water cooler(and in the Wal~Mart aisles).  We are actually going to have a white Christmas!  And while that is all well and good, I feel bad for those who have to continue the daily grind in this crazy weather.  I am luckily out of school and without responsibilities... although the white stuff is putting a cramp in my last minute Christmas shopping... lol.  Also I think I have a cold.  Gross.

I am really glad that I have this time off before Christmas.... and after!  I don't go back to class until January 5th, 2009!  Which is the longest amount of time I've had off since.... well actually not that long ago because of the time I had off for the wedding.... but still this is much less structured than a wedding and honeymoon... and colder. :(

I can hardly believe that I have already made it half-way through my course and in a short 4 months will be graduated and hopefully off to Disneyland with my husband to celebrate(and there's the whole being married a whole year thing in there too... :P)  I am really nervous about the practicum portion of next term, but am also totally jazzed.  I have my fingers crossed for a friendly office where I will fit in.... and then have an opening May... lol  But that is the future and right now is about Presents!

It feels weird to not be a part of planning (and being in)  a Christmas pageant/Christmas Eve service.  I have been Mother Mary for three years and Jésus(hay-Zeus) and I are a little confused.  lol.   ( I totally just figured out how to do a "é" on my Mac... I am so stoked, now I can spell my name right! Go Me!) (Renée, Renée, Renée... mwahahahahaha)  (I have only had this thing for like almost a year now... sheesh)  (this post is full of parentheses... sorry)  Anyway, back to the Christmas service thing, I have never had a Christmas Eve so... well open... since I started working at Wal~Mart...(4 years ago...) and my hubby is off too, so yay!

Well it's 20min to 4am and my hubby has finally finished helping some friends with a big bad WOW boss guy, so I had better sign off.

Ta ta!

Byes!

Oh, and May your Christmas(or holiday, whatever your beliefs)  be filled with peace, hope, light and love and may that joy follow you into the new year!

Joyeux Noël!

Me.

Deeper Waters run darkly underneath....?

Today, while playing with the Apple TV my Dad got and browsing my Dad's itunes I ran across a Casting Crowns song that I haven't heard in a long while.  I had forgotten how much I loved the song, and how close to home it hits for me always.  I think that I would love to have a small group that met like once a month and talked about songs... I could pick out tons of songs that say things to me(a lot of them coming from Casting Crowns)  and how neat would it be to talk about them?  I used a lot of Casting Crowns songs as "inspiration" when I was doing pulpit supply at EUC. Here are the lyrics to the song I listened to tonight, and then I'm going to write a list of other songs that hug my heart when I hear them.  My hope is that you will listen to them and if they touch you too you'll leave a comment and tell me in what way and we can talk about them :)  And would also like to invite you to leave me a list of songs that you find touching or remarkably true to you, so that I might listen and learn :)

Here is Stained Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

And here is my list of awesome songs (for the time being)

Casting Crowns:

If We are the Body

Praise You in this Storm

Does Anybody Hear Her

What this World Needs

The Altar and the Door

Here I Go Again

Voice of Truth

Who Am I

Michael W. Smith: (there are probably tons more, but this is it for now and mostly from the album "Stand")

Be Lifted High

Come to the Cross

Steven Curtis Chapman:(same as above, there are many more, these are mostly from the album "This Moment")

Broken

Children of God

Needtobreathe:

Washed by the Water

Chris Rice:

Untitled Hymn(Come to Jesus)

Chris Tomlin:

Enough

God of this City 

How Can I Keep from Singing

Made to Worship

Amazing Grace(My Chains are Gone)

How Great is our God

Matt Redman:

Blessed be Your Name

Various... so I don't really know

No One Like You (Barlowgirl??)

Grace Flows Down

I think that's enough for tonight :)

Bye.