Welcome December!

I find it hard to believe that another month has come and gone. Is it really December already? A month from today, it will be the beginning of the year 2006. On January 1, I'll look back again at the last month in utter disbelief that it's gone by so quickly. And not just a month gone by, but a year at which I will marvel. I can't believe I've been gone from Abilene for a year. In ways it seems like just last month, but in other ways it seems a lifetime ago. I suppose it was a lifetime ago, in some respect. I have a new life here, a life that I love. Sure, it isn't perfect, but where would the fun be if it were?

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Lots of doing nothing and lots of doing nothing important. I also had some great time with family and friends. I am, indeed, thankful for all that I have been given. In fact, my testimony is just a tribute to the goodness of the Lord and all that I am thankful for. He has been so good to me. The blessings in my life are tremendous, and completely outweigh the bad. In fact, those blessings more than cancel out the bad.

I've been busy lately preparing for the Christmas season at school, church, and home! The natives have been incredibly restless this week back from Thanksgiving. Next week we're going to see "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" at Casa Manana, and the following week we're doing a Polar Express unit. We're wearing pajamas to school and watching the movie. Of course, we're also reading the book. The end of the week will be our Christmas party, and the two weeks after that will be VACATION!

At church, I'm helping plan our big singles group Christmas party. It's been fun so far. I'm in charge of decorations, and also the invitations and general PR for the party. The guy I lead small group with and a couple other friends work at Fortress Church of Christ in Downtown Fort Worth. I'm sure most of my Highland friends reading this are familiar with Fortress. Anyway, he and the other two girls are bringing a bunch of the kids from Fortress up to Farmer's Branch for the party. We're going to be giving the kids gifts and playing with them.

This is the first Christmas that I've been at a place of my own for the majority of the holiday, so it's the first time I've really had my own place to decorate. Of course we decorated in college, but our Christmas Tree-turned-Valentine Tree doesn't quite count the same. (Thanks for that, Jen and Mel!) Kim and I decorated our apartment on Sunday night, and it is lovely. Kim brought the four and a half foot tree that she bought last year, and I made a big wreath to go over the fireplace. Maybe I'll post some pictures later. It's a humble little apartment, as far as Christmas decorations go, but I love them. I love evening free time during Christmas when I can relax with a good book and a cup of Chai tea, enjoying the lights from the tree.

Last night at church we made white chocolate covered cranberries to sell as a fundraiser for a ministry called "New Friends, New Life" that helps women get out of sexually oriented businesses and start their lives over. It's a very cool thing, and we had alot of fun with a whole lot of cranberries. My friend Brandon and I decorated the tags that went on the little bags of cranberries while Lisa tied them on. He was much more creative than I. Me, I'm good with little polka dots. Brandon preferred to draw ornately decorated christmas trees and melted snowmen. Very nice.

A few weeks ago, my friend Shawn bought a house. He invited several of us to go over there tonight and write bible verses all over the inside walls of his house, which will be painted over soon. I think it's a very cool idea. Regardless of who lives in that house over it's lifespan, those words of truth will forever be written on it's walls. Many people will live there and never even know the blessing that their house has been given. What a neat thing! After we wrote, we stayed to help with some last minute baseboard painting that needed to be done before the new carpet is laid tomorrow. How much fun! I can't wait to get to do this kind of thing to a house of my own!

We're pretty much caught up to now. I still want to post about RENT, as well as a book I'm reading, but we'll save those for later. Chances are in two days I'll have nothing but another random survey entry to post, and these two ideas will make for much better entries.