But I can't, LOL
It's already the middle of February! Unbelievable! That means it's almost the end of basketball season. DH's freshman team was undefeated this year. YEA!! Unfortunately, the varsity team isn't doing so well. This week is the regional tournament. If they lose, they're out (it's single elimination). While I want them to do well for DH's sake...for my own selfish sake, I'm really ready for basketball to be over.
B's soccer season has begun and her first game is in two weeks. She loves soccer. Unfortunately, she injured her arm yesterday (fell backwards over the dog) and is now in a brace and a sling for 3 days and has to see an orthopedist this week to make sure it isn't broken (the med-stop doctor couldn't tell for sure on the x-rays). So she'll probably miss soccer on Tuesday.
A is doing well and her softball team should be starting up practices again very soon. DH is thinking about finding another team for her to play on as well to make sure she's ready for the school season in the fall...tryouts will be this summer and she really wants to make varsity. She's doing great in school. Right now she has the 6th highest GPA among the freshman at her school. She would have a perfect GPA if it wasn't for a 98 in her Spanish class last year (she got high school credit for Spanish in 7th and 8th grades).
I'm fighting a cold...I've had it for almost two weeks now and it's really miserable. Some days I feel better than others, but today is not one of those days. I'm glad I have tomorrow off from work -- I need some rest!
We're trying to decide what to do for vacation this year but aren't really making any progress. I need to get things planned!
Gee, wasn't this an exciting blog entry?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Random Thoughts....
I haven't done a set of random thoughts in a while...so here goes:
-When you live in the south, it should not be colder inside your office than it is outdoors in January. Why they can't figure out a way to have the office heated in the winter and cooled in the summer is beyond me!
-I fear I will never have a clean, organized home.
-The problem with housework is that it is never done. I like to do something once, have it over with, and move on. Housework just isn't like that.
-I think there need to be limits on fertility treatments. If you already have six children between the ages of 7 and 2 and you're living with your parents in a 2-3 bedroom house, you probably don't need to go in for fertility treatments and have more babies. Especially 8 more babies.
-I love word searches.
-I'm starting a new job on Monday. I haven't even started boxing up my stuff at work for the move. I have so much to get done today and will have to work tomorrow to get even part of it done. I'm excited about the new job but also scared to death.
-I am really enjoying water aerobics. It's fun! And definitely a good workout.
-B has really enjoyed soccer this month. Her regular season starts next week. Yes, year round sports for us -- she just finished fall soccer in November!
-DH's basketball team is still undefeated, with two games left to go in his season. Yea!
-I think the best breakfast on the face of the earth is a chocolate filled croissant and a Coke. Yummy.
-When you live in the south, it should not be colder inside your office than it is outdoors in January. Why they can't figure out a way to have the office heated in the winter and cooled in the summer is beyond me!
-I fear I will never have a clean, organized home.
-The problem with housework is that it is never done. I like to do something once, have it over with, and move on. Housework just isn't like that.
-I think there need to be limits on fertility treatments. If you already have six children between the ages of 7 and 2 and you're living with your parents in a 2-3 bedroom house, you probably don't need to go in for fertility treatments and have more babies. Especially 8 more babies.
-I love word searches.
-I'm starting a new job on Monday. I haven't even started boxing up my stuff at work for the move. I have so much to get done today and will have to work tomorrow to get even part of it done. I'm excited about the new job but also scared to death.
-I am really enjoying water aerobics. It's fun! And definitely a good workout.
-B has really enjoyed soccer this month. Her regular season starts next week. Yes, year round sports for us -- she just finished fall soccer in November!
-DH's basketball team is still undefeated, with two games left to go in his season. Yea!
-I think the best breakfast on the face of the earth is a chocolate filled croissant and a Coke. Yummy.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
It's Been a While....
I didn't realize it had been so long since I had posted on my blog! I'm sure the people who read this blog (I think there might be 5 of you, LOL!) are sick of looking at those same pictures by now!
So what are we up to? Well, let's see....DH's basketball team is undefeated! Yea! Unfortunately, the varsity team is not doing quite as well (I think they're 2-11 right now -- not so good). Everyone is back in school and both girls got their report cards. A has a 100 in every single class and B also has really high As in every class. They learn so quickly and academics come very easily to both of them. B is enjoying a winter training camp for soccer, three days each week. She didn't go this morning, though -- I think my sisters who live in cold climates decided to be generous and share their cold weather with us....it was 20 degrees outside at 8 a.m. this morning. No, thank you! A is keeping the scorebook for DH's basketball team and is enjoying that. I asked DH if he ever felt sad that neither of the girls are the slightest bit interested in playing basketball...I was a little surprised that he said he hadn't ever even though about it and it didn't disappoint them at all. I do think he feels a bit smug, though, that they both chose to give up dance and gymnastics in favor of "real" sports (as he puts it).
I can finally make the official announcement -- I have been promoted at work and will be starting my new job on February 1. I found out the week of Thanksgiving that I had been selected for the job but wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Of course, I had to tell my family and a few close friends...but now that it's official, I can tell the world. I'm really excited about this job -- I've wanted it for two years and I'm looking forward to it. I'm especially looking forward to the change of pace. The job I'm in currently is very high-stress, fast-paced, and intense...and I'm ready for a break from that. More money, less stress, and I won't have to work so many extra hours. I love it!
I also started a water aerobics class this week with two coworkers. Wow -- what a workout! I don't remember my water aerobics class in college being that much of a workout. It was so much fun -- it was a definite workout but the nice thing about being in the water is that you don't get sweaty (which is what I hate most about exercise). It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to making this a regular part of my week. And now that I am starting a new job and will be working in a different building, it will give me a chance to spend time with these two coworkers who are so much fun to be with.
We are in the midst of a project at home...after being in our home for 8 years, we are reclaiming the dining room. Ever since the day we moved into our home, the dining room has been the playroom. A more accurate description would be "Barbie City, USA"! So we are cleaning out, throwing out, giving away, and reclaiming this space so that we'll have a dininh room. I am hoping to find an awesome deal on a dining table and chairs sometime this year...the kitchen table and chairs (which we will be moving out of the kitchen and into the dining room) were bought 17 years ago with wedding gift money. They're rather worn out and it's time to replace them. So I'll be keeping my eyes open for a fabulous deal. In the meantime, I need to figure out what color to paint the walls in the dining room and finish the big move. I'm excited to have a real dining room. I continue to feel the need to declutter and organize our home and this is one project we've been thinking about for a while.
It is a bit sad, though, to accept that our girls have really outgrown the need for a playroom. It appears that the future does not hold more children in store for us and so, in a way, making this change in our home feels like I'm closing the door on that part of my life. After one really disheartening experience (we had hoped to adopt a little boy last summer but it didn't work out), I'm just not sure I have it in me to pursue another adoption. I feel like I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that this part of my life is over...infertility is not fun fun and I resent its near-constant presence in my life for the past four years...and it's time for me to move on. I think part of the reason I put off the transformation of the playroom into a dining room for so long (because, honestly, the girls haven't used the playroom in FOREVER) is because I just wasn't ready to admit that we weren't going to ever need a playroom anymore. I think DH would still like to puruse a foster care/adoption but I just don't know right now if I have it in me.
I didn't mean to turn this into a "downer" post! Just sharing what's going on in our home (and my head and heart) right now.
A and I are going to a youth dance at church tonight -- the theme is the 80s. It was so funny to watch the reaction from A and some of the other young women when I was describing 80s fashion to them. ROTFLOL! They were laughing and couldn't believe some of the trends (neon, anyone?). They could believe that we used to layer our socks and scrunch them down...peg our jeans...wear layered polos and t-shirts and turn up the collars and role the sleeves...they really got a laugh out of the fact that neon was popular at one point in time (I think that trend lasted about a week, LOL)...big, huge shoulder pads, and big, colorful earrings. It will be interesting to see if any of them dress up for the 80s theme tonight.
I'm glad Monday is a holiday -- more time to work on the dining room transformation!
So what are we up to? Well, let's see....DH's basketball team is undefeated! Yea! Unfortunately, the varsity team is not doing quite as well (I think they're 2-11 right now -- not so good). Everyone is back in school and both girls got their report cards. A has a 100 in every single class and B also has really high As in every class. They learn so quickly and academics come very easily to both of them. B is enjoying a winter training camp for soccer, three days each week. She didn't go this morning, though -- I think my sisters who live in cold climates decided to be generous and share their cold weather with us....it was 20 degrees outside at 8 a.m. this morning. No, thank you! A is keeping the scorebook for DH's basketball team and is enjoying that. I asked DH if he ever felt sad that neither of the girls are the slightest bit interested in playing basketball...I was a little surprised that he said he hadn't ever even though about it and it didn't disappoint them at all. I do think he feels a bit smug, though, that they both chose to give up dance and gymnastics in favor of "real" sports (as he puts it).
I can finally make the official announcement -- I have been promoted at work and will be starting my new job on February 1. I found out the week of Thanksgiving that I had been selected for the job but wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Of course, I had to tell my family and a few close friends...but now that it's official, I can tell the world. I'm really excited about this job -- I've wanted it for two years and I'm looking forward to it. I'm especially looking forward to the change of pace. The job I'm in currently is very high-stress, fast-paced, and intense...and I'm ready for a break from that. More money, less stress, and I won't have to work so many extra hours. I love it!
I also started a water aerobics class this week with two coworkers. Wow -- what a workout! I don't remember my water aerobics class in college being that much of a workout. It was so much fun -- it was a definite workout but the nice thing about being in the water is that you don't get sweaty (which is what I hate most about exercise). It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to making this a regular part of my week. And now that I am starting a new job and will be working in a different building, it will give me a chance to spend time with these two coworkers who are so much fun to be with.
We are in the midst of a project at home...after being in our home for 8 years, we are reclaiming the dining room. Ever since the day we moved into our home, the dining room has been the playroom. A more accurate description would be "Barbie City, USA"! So we are cleaning out, throwing out, giving away, and reclaiming this space so that we'll have a dininh room. I am hoping to find an awesome deal on a dining table and chairs sometime this year...the kitchen table and chairs (which we will be moving out of the kitchen and into the dining room) were bought 17 years ago with wedding gift money. They're rather worn out and it's time to replace them. So I'll be keeping my eyes open for a fabulous deal. In the meantime, I need to figure out what color to paint the walls in the dining room and finish the big move. I'm excited to have a real dining room. I continue to feel the need to declutter and organize our home and this is one project we've been thinking about for a while.
It is a bit sad, though, to accept that our girls have really outgrown the need for a playroom. It appears that the future does not hold more children in store for us and so, in a way, making this change in our home feels like I'm closing the door on that part of my life. After one really disheartening experience (we had hoped to adopt a little boy last summer but it didn't work out), I'm just not sure I have it in me to pursue another adoption. I feel like I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that this part of my life is over...infertility is not fun fun and I resent its near-constant presence in my life for the past four years...and it's time for me to move on. I think part of the reason I put off the transformation of the playroom into a dining room for so long (because, honestly, the girls haven't used the playroom in FOREVER) is because I just wasn't ready to admit that we weren't going to ever need a playroom anymore. I think DH would still like to puruse a foster care/adoption but I just don't know right now if I have it in me.
I didn't mean to turn this into a "downer" post! Just sharing what's going on in our home (and my head and heart) right now.
A and I are going to a youth dance at church tonight -- the theme is the 80s. It was so funny to watch the reaction from A and some of the other young women when I was describing 80s fashion to them. ROTFLOL! They were laughing and couldn't believe some of the trends (neon, anyone?). They could believe that we used to layer our socks and scrunch them down...peg our jeans...wear layered polos and t-shirts and turn up the collars and role the sleeves...they really got a laugh out of the fact that neon was popular at one point in time (I think that trend lasted about a week, LOL)...big, huge shoulder pads, and big, colorful earrings. It will be interesting to see if any of them dress up for the 80s theme tonight.
I'm glad Monday is a holiday -- more time to work on the dining room transformation!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Our Family
A few pictures...all of these were taken in November by my friend Erin, an amazing photographer! She's so talented!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas 2008
It isn't entirely over yet, but the "big bang" part of the holiday has come and gone. It was a little different this year, since my parents weren't here. I can only think of two Christmases in the last 17 years that we haven't spent with my parents and we all missed them. The girls even commented that it didn't seem like Christmas without Grandma and Papa here. We're excited for them to come home tomorrow, but we're happy they've had a wonderful visit with my sister and her family and my brother in Alaska (although they've been much colder than we have...it's been shirt sleeve weather all week!).
I'm proud to announce that my Christmas cards were actually mailed before Christmas this year. OK, so they got mailed on Christmas Eve. Technically, that counts as "before Christmas." LOL Maybe next year they'll get mailed earlier than that. I'm working on it!
We had a wonderful Christmas. We got a Wii and lots of games, and the girls got Nintendo DS's with lots of games. I have to put in a plug for the Personal Chef game -- we made a recipe from it last night and it was really good! Brain Age 2 and Crosswords have also been a huge hit. The favorite Wii game so far is Mario Kart (although I can't drive that darn thing to save my life!). The girls tried the Dancing with the Stars game last night and had a great time -- it's a good workout and we laughed and laughed and laughed.
DH and I ventured out yesterday morning to do some returns and found no lines in the stores (two people in front of me in one store but I didn't even wait 2 minutes)...none of the insanity I have come to expect on the day after Christmas. Then yesterday afternoon the girls and I went to the grocery store and stopped in at Target. Oh my goodness. It was a madhouse! Apparently everyone slept in yesterday and waited to hit the day after sales until afternoon. I was proud of myself for not buying any wrapping paper, gift boxes, gift bags, or tags -- I didn't even make a tiny dent in my stash this year!
I haven't been in to the office all week -- haven't even called in -- and it's been nice. I'm thinking about going by the office today to clean out my e-mail inbox...not to respond to anything, but just clean out the junk. I get the dreaded "your mailbox is over the allotted size" message every day and just thinking about how much stuff will be waiting for me when I go back to work in January is scary!
We're enjoying spending time together and just relaxing. Nothing has gotten done around the house (so much for my big plans of getting the house cleaned and organized while I was off work for two weeks!) but we've just been hanging out. I think it's important to do that, and especially important to do that together as a family. We've been eating lots of cookies (gotta love Pillsbury ready to bake cookies) and just spending time together.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful, happy Christmas filled with family, friends, fun, laughter, and love!
I'm proud to announce that my Christmas cards were actually mailed before Christmas this year. OK, so they got mailed on Christmas Eve. Technically, that counts as "before Christmas." LOL Maybe next year they'll get mailed earlier than that. I'm working on it!
We had a wonderful Christmas. We got a Wii and lots of games, and the girls got Nintendo DS's with lots of games. I have to put in a plug for the Personal Chef game -- we made a recipe from it last night and it was really good! Brain Age 2 and Crosswords have also been a huge hit. The favorite Wii game so far is Mario Kart (although I can't drive that darn thing to save my life!). The girls tried the Dancing with the Stars game last night and had a great time -- it's a good workout and we laughed and laughed and laughed.
DH and I ventured out yesterday morning to do some returns and found no lines in the stores (two people in front of me in one store but I didn't even wait 2 minutes)...none of the insanity I have come to expect on the day after Christmas. Then yesterday afternoon the girls and I went to the grocery store and stopped in at Target. Oh my goodness. It was a madhouse! Apparently everyone slept in yesterday and waited to hit the day after sales until afternoon. I was proud of myself for not buying any wrapping paper, gift boxes, gift bags, or tags -- I didn't even make a tiny dent in my stash this year!
I haven't been in to the office all week -- haven't even called in -- and it's been nice. I'm thinking about going by the office today to clean out my e-mail inbox...not to respond to anything, but just clean out the junk. I get the dreaded "your mailbox is over the allotted size" message every day and just thinking about how much stuff will be waiting for me when I go back to work in January is scary!
We're enjoying spending time together and just relaxing. Nothing has gotten done around the house (so much for my big plans of getting the house cleaned and organized while I was off work for two weeks!) but we've just been hanging out. I think it's important to do that, and especially important to do that together as a family. We've been eating lots of cookies (gotta love Pillsbury ready to bake cookies) and just spending time together.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful, happy Christmas filled with family, friends, fun, laughter, and love!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A Christmas Miracle
In the Everly Brothers song, "Unchained Melody," the lyric says that "time goes by so slowly..."...well, not in our world! I just realized that today is December 20.y goodness. December 20. SO much to do before Christmas comes!
It has been one heck of a roller coaster week. On Wednesday, we got the absolutely devastating news that my sister M's foster daughter, Adorable, was going to have to go with her biological mother into a drug rehab center shortly after Christmas, the first step to possibly losing her back to her parents (sadly, that would not be the best situation for Adorable). We have all become so attached to Adorable and feel so strongly that she is meant to be part of M and B's family. We were all devasted -- no one more than M and her husband. Imagine spending your first Christmas with your daughter, with the knowledge hanging over your head that shortly after Christmas you would be losing her. I know how much my heart ached at the news...and I know M and B were is much more pain than I was.
Many, many, many prayers were said -- by family, friends, and even dear friends who have never met my sister. My fried Gena sent me the most touching, fervent, heartfelt prayer in M and B's behalf. We are so thankful for all of those prayers...
Because, 23 hours later, M and B received their own Christmas miracle. We know that God still works miracles, and he worked one in our family. As a result of actions on the part of Adorable's biological mother, she will not be entering the inpatient drug rehab center and the caseworker will be asking the judge to move towards adoption (by M and B) instead of family reunification. They have gone from being a few steps from losing their daughter (yes, we all think of Adorable as their daughter already) to being much closer to having her as part of their eternal family.
I am reminded now, in a very personal way, of the first Christmas miracle. That miracle, too, involved a child. A child who came willingly to this earth, in the humblest of circumstances, to teach us the way back to our Heavenly Father, and to willingly give up his life so that we could all have the gift of eternal life. How grateful I am for that first Christmas miracle...and for the Christmas miracle our Heavenly Father has bestowed on our family.
It won't matter if the gifts don't get wrapped, if the cookies don't get baked, if the cards get mailed late. What matters is that we remember the true meaning of Christmas and focus on that. What matters is that we show Heavenly Father through our actions that we remember and understand the importance of that first Christmas miracle.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men."
It has been one heck of a roller coaster week. On Wednesday, we got the absolutely devastating news that my sister M's foster daughter, Adorable, was going to have to go with her biological mother into a drug rehab center shortly after Christmas, the first step to possibly losing her back to her parents (sadly, that would not be the best situation for Adorable). We have all become so attached to Adorable and feel so strongly that she is meant to be part of M and B's family. We were all devasted -- no one more than M and her husband. Imagine spending your first Christmas with your daughter, with the knowledge hanging over your head that shortly after Christmas you would be losing her. I know how much my heart ached at the news...and I know M and B were is much more pain than I was.
Many, many, many prayers were said -- by family, friends, and even dear friends who have never met my sister. My fried Gena sent me the most touching, fervent, heartfelt prayer in M and B's behalf. We are so thankful for all of those prayers...
Because, 23 hours later, M and B received their own Christmas miracle. We know that God still works miracles, and he worked one in our family. As a result of actions on the part of Adorable's biological mother, she will not be entering the inpatient drug rehab center and the caseworker will be asking the judge to move towards adoption (by M and B) instead of family reunification. They have gone from being a few steps from losing their daughter (yes, we all think of Adorable as their daughter already) to being much closer to having her as part of their eternal family.
I am reminded now, in a very personal way, of the first Christmas miracle. That miracle, too, involved a child. A child who came willingly to this earth, in the humblest of circumstances, to teach us the way back to our Heavenly Father, and to willingly give up his life so that we could all have the gift of eternal life. How grateful I am for that first Christmas miracle...and for the Christmas miracle our Heavenly Father has bestowed on our family.
It won't matter if the gifts don't get wrapped, if the cookies don't get baked, if the cards get mailed late. What matters is that we remember the true meaning of Christmas and focus on that. What matters is that we show Heavenly Father through our actions that we remember and understand the importance of that first Christmas miracle.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men."
Monday, December 1, 2008
December Comes too Fast...
It's December 1st already. It seems that I just barely got used to writing 2008 instead of 2007, and now it's almost time to start 2009. The older I get, the faster time goes by. When I was younger it seemed that Christmas would never come, and now that I'm an adult it seems to sneak up on me. So much to do!
All of the family who came in for Thanksgiving are gone now. It was so wonderful to see my sister and her husband and their foster daughter. She is so adorable! It was fun having two 2 1/2 year olds in my parents' house -- they got along really well (at least when I was around). It was also wonderful to see my grandfather and his wife. It saddens me that his health has declined, but he is still so sharp mentally. He really is one of the smartest people I know. It's always neat when family comes to visit and I'm sad when they leave.
I am hoping to be able to focus more on the meaning of Christmas this year and less on the commercial, materialistic side of the holiday. I need to spend more time thinking about why we celebrate the special holiday and about the miraculous blessing of the Savior's birth.
It's time to rearrange furniture in the living room and set up the Christmas tree...hang the stockings and lights...deck the halls...all of that. It's now "legal" (in my book) to listen to Christmas music and read Christmas-y story books (I have several and I love them). I am looking forward to sitting in the living room in the glow of the tree lights and just looking at it. It's so peaceful to do that -- one of my favorite things about Christmas is just sitting in the glow of the tree lights at night when it's quiet.
We are working on a Christmas cantata at church (I play the piano for the church choir). It is "First Christmas in Bethlehem/First Christmas in Zarahemla." One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story is the Wise Men...thinking about how they watched and waited and watched and waited for the sign of the Savior's birth, and then followed it. Action -- they took action. They didn't just see the star and say, "Gosh, there's the sign. Isn't that nice?" They did something -- they followed the star and went to find the Savior. I was thinking about that last night and today -- I am fortunate to have a strong testimony of the gospel and faith in the Savior...I have "seen the star", metaphorically speaking. But am I following it every day? Am I taking those actions I need to take in order to "find" the Savior? To become more Christ-like, a little more every day? Sadly, the answer is no. I need to work on that.
Another part of the Christmas story that I love is the angels who appeared to the shepherds...the singing. I like to think that I was there -- who knows, maybe they needed a pianist, because I certainly don't think my voice is fit for a heavenly choir! LOL But I like to think that I was there -- that I sang with joy at the Savior's birth.
Music is such an integral part of Christmas to me. So on this first day of December, my first gratitude of the Christmas season is music. I feel the Spirit more strongly through music, and find it easier to express my feelings through music than other ways. Feeling angry? Play something dark and stormy. Happy? Something light that moves quickly. Sad? Moonlight Sonata. Excited? Definitely fast and bouncy. I can't help but move and dance when I hear music. Music conveys thoughts, feelings, and emotions that I can't always easily put into words.
And so, to close this entry, I close with the words of those heavenly angels on that night so long ago -- which I am sure they were singing with all their might:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
All of the family who came in for Thanksgiving are gone now. It was so wonderful to see my sister and her husband and their foster daughter. She is so adorable! It was fun having two 2 1/2 year olds in my parents' house -- they got along really well (at least when I was around). It was also wonderful to see my grandfather and his wife. It saddens me that his health has declined, but he is still so sharp mentally. He really is one of the smartest people I know. It's always neat when family comes to visit and I'm sad when they leave.
I am hoping to be able to focus more on the meaning of Christmas this year and less on the commercial, materialistic side of the holiday. I need to spend more time thinking about why we celebrate the special holiday and about the miraculous blessing of the Savior's birth.
It's time to rearrange furniture in the living room and set up the Christmas tree...hang the stockings and lights...deck the halls...all of that. It's now "legal" (in my book) to listen to Christmas music and read Christmas-y story books (I have several and I love them). I am looking forward to sitting in the living room in the glow of the tree lights and just looking at it. It's so peaceful to do that -- one of my favorite things about Christmas is just sitting in the glow of the tree lights at night when it's quiet.
We are working on a Christmas cantata at church (I play the piano for the church choir). It is "First Christmas in Bethlehem/First Christmas in Zarahemla." One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story is the Wise Men...thinking about how they watched and waited and watched and waited for the sign of the Savior's birth, and then followed it. Action -- they took action. They didn't just see the star and say, "Gosh, there's the sign. Isn't that nice?" They did something -- they followed the star and went to find the Savior. I was thinking about that last night and today -- I am fortunate to have a strong testimony of the gospel and faith in the Savior...I have "seen the star", metaphorically speaking. But am I following it every day? Am I taking those actions I need to take in order to "find" the Savior? To become more Christ-like, a little more every day? Sadly, the answer is no. I need to work on that.
Another part of the Christmas story that I love is the angels who appeared to the shepherds...the singing. I like to think that I was there -- who knows, maybe they needed a pianist, because I certainly don't think my voice is fit for a heavenly choir! LOL But I like to think that I was there -- that I sang with joy at the Savior's birth.
Music is such an integral part of Christmas to me. So on this first day of December, my first gratitude of the Christmas season is music. I feel the Spirit more strongly through music, and find it easier to express my feelings through music than other ways. Feeling angry? Play something dark and stormy. Happy? Something light that moves quickly. Sad? Moonlight Sonata. Excited? Definitely fast and bouncy. I can't help but move and dance when I hear music. Music conveys thoughts, feelings, and emotions that I can't always easily put into words.
And so, to close this entry, I close with the words of those heavenly angels on that night so long ago -- which I am sure they were singing with all their might:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
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