Random Post

I have a friend who periodically writes random posts on her blog, and I really enjoy them. Since I never do this, I thought I might try one tonight. I have a lot on my mind...

My house is a mess. We were traveling for most of our Christmas break and got home just in time for me to spend many hours entering grades, go to bed, and get back to school. Our suitcases exploded all over the house, and I am embarrassed to say that I have just sat here and looked at it this week. I just don't have the drive to work every second of every day like I did in college. When I get home, I just want to sit on the couch. I'm not happy with myself :(

I had a popcorn party for my church choir kids this week. I hadn't met with them since our Christmas performance and wanted to reward them for their hard work. As an added bonus, I had several new kids come and join us! Since my core group is only 10-11, having more voices would be great. The question is, will the new kids come consistently?

Rural King is an awesome store. My favorite thing are their ladies' socks. They have every pattern you could imagine and also nice dressy socks for 88 cents this week. I am such a sucker for them and bought several more pair tonight, even though I have a drawer full.

When I was little I taped all of the Dick Van Dyke episodes off Nick at Nite. Why would a little girl be interested, you ask? Well, my parents watched 1960's reruns all the time, and it just rubbed off on me I guess. Then, being the OCD child I was, I watched each tape, looked up the episode title and other info in a Dick Van Dyke reference book, and listed the episodes on the tape. I got so into it that I even wrote to Dick Van Dyke, and he sent me back an autographed picture "to Amy, God Bless!" (I have wondered since if it was really his secretary who signed it, but I'd like to think he really wrote that message to me). I have been using those old tapes from 1993 to watch "my show" ever since then... Until now! My mom got me the entire series on DVD for Christmas! I almost stopped breathing, I was so excited and surprised! I don't think I'll get rid of the tapes, though. The commercials are awfully fun :)

We got ourselves a practical Christmas present this year: flannel sheets. I always said I would never want flannel sheets because I would get too hot, but I love them. It feels like I'm crawling onto a cloud when I go to bed every night! Since we keep the house at 65 (sometimes 62 at night), I haven't had problems getting too hot.

Well, I will close for now. The dryer repairman is coming tomorrow and I need to clear him a path. *Sigh*

Finding Joy this Christmas

As excited as I am about Christmas, I am apprehensive as well. This will be the first Christmas without my Meme. As a result, we will be doing things differently this year. For instance, instead of Christmas Eve at Meme's house, it will be at my Mom and Dad's home. The last time my mom hosted was the Christmas of my 6th grade year, just after Papa had died in November. My memories of that evening are bittersweet. I remember laughing hysterically while playing a mock game of Family Feud with my cousins, but I also remember the candle burning on the piano in remembrance of our dear grandfather. I remember going up to my room because my stomach hurt so badly from indigestion and, well, grief. I expect Christmas to be bittersweet again in this new season. We will laugh as we play "Dirty Santa" with our $5 gifts. We will savor an assortment of thoughtful stocking gifts. And we will probably cry.

On Christmas morning, we will enjoy the presence of a new family member: Jill's fiance Brian, who already fits in to the family so well. That is definitely a change to look forward to! Christmas Day dinner will be without my aunt and uncle and cousin, who have other plans that evening. Meme's "very special friend," Harold, will be joining us, however, and I am really looking forward to spending time with him. Mom is planning to bake a Christmas ham. We will play our annual Trivial Pursuit game, which will not be nearly as eventful without Meme trying to play for both teams. It will not be the Hardestys vs. the Hartzells, either, as it has always been. But we will find a different way to divide the teams, and it will be okay!

Despite the sadness that I know we will all share this holiday, I am confident that we will all have a wonderful time together. There will be tears, but there will also be lots of laughter and joy. This year my mom will be stepping up to bat as the hostess and matriarch, and the rest of us will step up a generation into our new roles, as well. God is faithful; he will see us through.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.

The other night at Dollar General, I found an ornament that I am 100% positive Meme would have bought for me had she seen it this year. I would put a picture of it on here, but it is already packed away for our departure tomorrow. Tree branches spell out "Joy." Joy is my seldom-used middle name. Since I got married, I legally dropped the Joy to make room for my maiden name. Even so, Meme would often call me "Amy Joy." Sitting on top of the "J" is a beautiful cardinal, Meme's favorite bird (she collected birds and birdhouses). I bought it for myself and will consider it my gift from her this year. I can't help but think that she sent it my way!

Now I will leave the computer, wipe away my tears, and find joy this Christmas, because that's how Meme would have wanted it.