etcetera. whatever.

Todd got me some Over the Rhine blend as a Christmas gift. It came today in the mail after being roasted fresh only 2 days ago! The aroma reached me before I even opened the package.... Delicious. Todd and I enjoyed a cup together. I thought you might enjoy a little cup of Over the Rhine. (It comes in waves) Here's one of our favorite songs, one that reminds me of a night we laid on a beach in Ohio on the edge of a great lake, watching the sky and dreaming of our future.

Etcetera Whatever
words and music: Detweiler
recording: Good Dog Bad Dog

We don't need a lot of money.
We'll be sleeping on the beach,
keeping oceans within reach.(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)

I will stumble there with you
and you'll be laughing close with me, trying not to make a scene
etcetera. Whatever. I guess all I really mean

is we're gonna be alright.Yeah, we're gonna be alright.
You can close your eyes tonight,'cause we're gonna be alright.

So come on now,
I can almost see
that place on a distant shore.
And courage is a weapon we must use
to find some life you can't refuse.

We don't need a lot of money.
We'll be sleeping on the beach,
keeping oceans within reach.(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)

I will stumble there with you
and you'll be laughing close with me, trying not to make a scene
etcetera. Whatever. I guess all I really mean

is we're gonna be alright.Yeah, we're gonna be alright.
You can close your eyes tonight,'cause we're gonna be alright.

All that I can see is your eyes.
Close your eyes.
Close your eyes.

a simple thing

OK, it is fun to get stuff too. In the last blog, I wrote that getting always leaves you wanting more. Which made me think. And then the very next day, I was completely blessed by someone. And it was so touching. I'd been looking up cameras. I was thinking about getting a nice high-end digital. Not quite a DSLR, maybe a couple steps down. And then the very next thing I know, my sweet and amazing sister offers to send me hers. She has a DSLR, she says. She has another, she says. So she offers to send her nice camera I had so much fun using in NYC. Isn't that generous? She is.

And something else. Tonight some people invited us over for dinner. It is a simple gesture. Just dinner. And today I spoke with her. What should I bring? Nothing. We have the bread, the salad. Even the cheesecake. And I was blessed even more. I know the effort, the prep, the cleaning and cooking it takes to have people over. And she, well they- are getting ready for....us. Little us. All that for us. I know it is simple, but it means a lot to me. It is an honor, really.

So, we are blessed to receive, too. To give and to receive. I guess we need a little of both.

the jdc...

On Christmas Eve, I joined some others from our church at the Juvenile Detention Center. The church-goers had all given- cards and money for 100 kids locked up for Christmas (and the staff) to have a treat on Christmas Eve. So off to McDonald's we went to organize 100 some value meals and deliver them the the JDC, unit by unit.

Our church gave- over 800 dollars. McDonald's on Fesler made meals- over 100. (Other MD's said no way) And some bad kids received an act of kindness and love- maybe the one that made a difference. In every meal, each giver wrote a message of hope to these delinquents. Someone loves you.

Now, I must admit, I was not looking forward to going. Todd was supposed to do it, but then had to be somewhere else. And I knew the girls would rather spend some quality time with Dad instead of yet another day with just me. So I elected to go, I made myself say 'yes'. And of course, I was glad I did.

As I found the soda, handed it off, someone else found the meal. Ketchup, Sweet and Sour or BBQ. Don't forget the straw. The guards yelled. We were startled. It was like a jail.

And it warmed my heart. It wasn't that the kids reacted thankfully. They were happy in a mischievous sort of way. It was just that we gave. 'Tis better to give, they say. And I know it is true. Getting always leaves you wanting more. Giving touches something much deeper. It was just some McDonald's to some troubled kids. But Jesus did say we honor Him when we give to the least of these.

So I was thankful for the people who thought up this idea. For Todd who made me go. And the girls were also blessed because they got to hear all about it. They wanted to go and help too. Giving inspires giving. Kindness inspires kindness. What an amazing gift that is!

a merry Christmas

Abigail's new bike- and she is SO good at riding it!
Bella's scooter! (and new clothes)
Emma at the Christmas Eve Service!
Ab and her tiger!! (I think this was taken after Bella tried to STEAL stripey!!!) ;)

We are so tired!! The girls woke us up this morning and we have all been playing non-stop since then! Right now, Todd is practically passed out watching Pirates of the Caribbean and I got up only to wish you all a Merry Christmas one last time for 2006! While I'm here, I may as well write a little more!!

The girls loved the gifts you guys sent. They loved the stuffed animals from Reid and Jasmine. They already have names and pajamas and have been fed all 3 meals, plus snacks. The tiger is called Stripey and the giraffe is call Cry-stal (emphasis on the stol). And even after the air hockey table for Bella and the bike for Ab, somehow the stuffed animals still made a place on the favorite gift list. Along with the puppy that gives wet kisses and the bop bags!

This morning they were so happy opening all their gifts. Abigail has such a sweet joy every time she opened each thing- shouting whatever it was and sometimes adding to our happiness by saying "What I always wanted!" She was adorable!! And Emma. She was SO cute. We got her a red wagon and as she was opening it and saw the picture on the box, she started saying "oh, oh, oh!" and covering her mouth with her hands. She was SO excited. She had a lot of fun- more than I thought she would have. And Bella. She is the old pro by now. She had a great time, too. And of course we had chorizo and eggs for breakfast, by Todd- and we went to the beach for our annual Christmas walk. When we got home we watched Holly Hobbie Christmas for the LAST time of the season!! And I made some ham and fixings for dinner. Now we are EXHAUSTED! A long day of play. I think it'll be another one tomorrow! We still have many things to try out and a LOT of leftovers! I decided it could be Christmas for a couple more days! :) Hope it was merry for all of you- love you!!

the night before christmas eve

Oh, the Saturday before Christmas! Yes, we did some shopping. The girls and I went out while Todd went golfing. We got our last minute stuff done and had a nice time despite the craziness. The girls are ready for Christmas DAY to be here! We got another package in the mail today from Uncle Reid and Aunt Jasmine. And stuff from Aunt Leah. They are SO ready to open all these tempting packages under our tree!

We drove up to Nipomo to look at the locally famous "Candy Cane Lane". A whole neighborhood of houses decorated up for Christmas. We parked and walked the blocks. Our favorite was the house with the giant manger scene. The girls walked up electric lit path these neighbors had made in their yard to where the plastic baby Jesus laid. It was really cute. They stood there for at least a minute, just staring down at that little decoration that symbolizes who the entire season is celebrating.

And now Todd is off doing his last minute shopping while the girls are already dreaming of sugar plums at 7:00 at night. This season is fun and crazy and tiring for three sweet sisters. We have a busy day tomorrow. Christmas Eve. Hope all is well for all of you- and I am still hoping for a cold front to move in and bring you a white Christmas!! Love.

Christmas Break!

Tonight we went to the mall. The mall is Santa Maria is nothing compared to those in Akron - maybe more like the one in Defiance :) . And Santa was there. Of course the girls didn't even give him the time of day. They told us that he is just a guy dressed up like Santa! So no picture with him! They got each other some little gifts, I took Abigail and Todd took Bell. Abigail got Bell some little treats and then when we were half way across the mall I looke down and she didn't have the bag anymore! She had left it in the bookstore. (at least she remembered where!) But we had to walk all the way back to get. Luckily it was still right where she'd left it!! Phew! Nothing much more is going on here. The girls have been watching a lot of Christmas movies, doing some Christmas crafts (we made snow globes yesterday! so fun!), and coloring in their Christmas coloring books. And of course spending time with friends!! We miss you guys, our family and friends far away, so much at this time of year! Still hoping for snow for you! (David, you could send us all some from Colorado Springs!!) love.

christmastime is here

We watched the Santa Clause 2 this morning,
Someone came over with armfuls of gifts,
We made some Christmas cookies with friends.
And tonight's a party!
It's pretty much Christmas!