Goodbye, 2008

Happy New Year! The year of our Lord two thousand and eight was a good one to our family. The year in review:

ARUBA!

PINK EYE!


CAMPING!

(Notice how the Janssens have a tent mansion and ours looks like a dumpy shed?)

NEW JOB!

NEW HOUSE!

Bonus 2008: New house comes complete with German neighbor!

Finally straightened the filth in the new house, too

HALF MARATHON!

Celebrated our Scottish heritage...

... and made our dog pretend she is Scottish, too.

Mini-golfed with the Ovesons

Saw a grown woman urinate in public with the Janssens


Sent off the cutest missionary since a certain Elder headed to Mexico in 2003

Went to a Jazz playoff game courtesy of Marketer Jim

Lots of other fabulous things happened, too, and a (thankfully) small number of heartaches. We are happy and healthy and more blessed than we deserve. Goodbye, 2008.

Hooray for 2009!

Brace yourselves

Spoken by a 60-something grandmotherly type at an after-Christmas ward Christmas party:

"I don't eat coconut. Tastes like tonsil scabs."

Yup. Tonsil scabs.

Carry on.

Merry Christmas!

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Love/Hate Relationship: A definition

I hate you, Phoenix, Arizona.

Just days ago, while I was trudging through the snow and scraping my car windows and falling on the ice (which I do at least once every single stinking year) all I could think of was you. You and Al Roker.

Al chose you to be the "pick city of the day". "PICKCITYOFTHEDAY!" he said, cheerfully.

And you. You.

You were 'mostly sunny, 60 degrees, and cool'. My eyes are narrowing in anger just thinking of it.

How dare you. Do you know that my pants are wet half way up my calves and caked in salt? That my toes have been numb for weeks? Do you even care? I hate you, Phoenix. That's right. I hate you.

I love you, Phoenix. Can we get married? Can I bring my husband?

And may all your Christmases be ethnically diverse.

First of all, I didn't run the race with Kinzy, after all. I worked Trauma for PCMC the night before and just couldn't do it. Guess the food bank got my money for nothin'. I did score a cool t-shirt though.

Anywho,

I enjoy Nativity scenes. I have a whole bunch that I inherited from Paddy's mom, and I set up my mom's every year, too. I've got big ones, small ones, colorful ones, plain ones, and a few with gold halos. I dig 'em.

Setting up the Nativity is a delicate process. Shepards and lambs on one side. The family sandwiched in the middle with the occasional angel presiding. Donkey near the manger because hey, he did a lot of work that day. Camels and wise men on the other side.

Did you hear that? Shepards on one side, wise men on the other, and n'er the two shall meet.

Does this make me a Christmas separationist?

I mean, I've got nothing against either group. Sure, I'm rather fond of the whole shepard's hook thing, but what modern girl wouldn't like to score a little myrrh from time to time? If I was a good social worker, would I have everyone intermingling in a jolly everyone-in-the-front-of-the-bus-playing-I-Spy-together sort of travel party? Your thoughts, please.