It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“Humbled, I Boast”

Okay, one thing about me: I usually hate poetry.

However, during my time in Ireland, my amazing Irish Literature professor, Derick Bingham who just died this past year from leukemia, gave us the assignment to write a poem in response to C.S. Lewis take on the Incarnation as expressed in his book "Miracles". Lewis essentially say that the true test of some thing's greatness, is its ability to enter into the little. And this is exactly what Jesus did when God sent Him to the earth. Something great, pure, and undefiled coming to a broken, sinful, dirty place. He left Heaven to come to Earth.

As I forced myself to write the poem, I knew I had to at least write about something I loved so I chose Christmas. Now, this may sound unintentionally prideful but I loved it and I still do. This is because any time I get caught up in the bustle and excitement of the holiday season, I can look at my poem and re-focus. I can remember what it is really all about.

So I hope you enjoy it and more importantly, I hope you are finding time to revel in the mysterious of God taking man form, all for the sake of you. To save you and let you live a life that will end in mansions and streets of gold and this permanent feeling of Christmas time that is I love so much. (I get giddy thinking about this feeling being permanent!!) I can't wait to go Home...and no, not Little Rock, Minnesota, Siloam Springs, or even Ireland...my final home.

Merry Christmas everybody!

The poem:

It is time
Christmas is coming again
The time I love the most
This year, there is an even greater hope
In something new I now boast

Jesus birth I’ve always known
But never felt the magnificence
Until my eyes were truly opened
To see the real difference

The power of something great
To enter into something less
By sending Jesus to the earth
There are millions God did bless

Something so Holy
Coming to a place so dirty
Becoming our sin
That we may live again

Everything must come
Everything must go
But the magnitude of Christ
One day, everyone will know

The day I stand before His Throne
Because of what He did
Letting something Great enter the Little
The heart of me, just a kid

So it is time
Christmas is coming again
The time I love the most
This year, there is an even greater hope
In something new I now boast

Home.

Mr. Brightside

Everyone is missing Christmas!!

So it turns out that everyone seems to be missing this season of Christmas along with myself! This is just crazy and not okay.

But to counteract that, these are the things I will still do in order to make sure I don't miss the Christmas season this year. You should think about making a list for yourself so you make sure to get the fullness out of the season!



1. Go the square in Fayetteville- even if I have to go alone.

2. Bake...a lot.
- puppy chow
- decorate Christmas cookies/make drop cookies/ rice krispie treat wreaths
- bake an apple pie
- apple cider and hot cocoa

3. Watch: The Grinch, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, The Polar Express,
A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story



4. Listen to the Bing Crosy, Amy Grant,Phillips Craig and Dean, and Mariah Carey Christmas albums

5. Go to Hot Springs to see the lights (as my friend Jennie instructed)

6. Go ice skating



7. Christmas present shopping



8. Read The Christmas Story, the one from the Bible people

9. Buy an ugle Christmas sweater

10. Spend enormous amounts of time with family and friends.

Whoops.

Facebook status, enough said:

First final: 8:00am
Wakeup time: 8:00am
Amount of times I almost got killed on the way to school: 8x's
Arrival time at exam: 8:08am
Amount of love for my professor for letting me take it: 8x's greater than before

For Lindsey, aka "Sissy"

So a couple of days ago, Dec. 7th, it was my sister Lindsey's birthday. Well, it was actually Landon and Lindsey's birthday since they are twins but whatevs...Anyways. I blogged that day about Pearl Harbor because I didn't want people to forget. However, my older sister Lindsey well beyond deserves a blog post for her birthday as well...




So here's to you "sissy"...

Happy 26th Birthday! I think that means you are actually an adult now. But then again, you have always been an adult and have made for an amazing big sister.




I could not ask for a better role model than you. From the way you do school, the way you interact, they way you play wifey and soon to be mom... you always do an amazing job at making wise decisions and setting a great example for me to follow.



Thank you for always being there for me and offering a level-headed, grounded opinions on whatever life brings my way. I don't know if you realize how much I do value your opinion and input on my life. Your advice is very valuable to me.

I love you very much. Thanks for the memories of doing my hair and make-up, singing Christmas songs together, making silly videos of us singing, sharing the same bed (or causing me to sleep on the floor for a year), memories in New York, and for laughing at me more than most people usually do.

Thanks for showing me how to grow, to learn, and to listen. And thank you for loving me and showing me how to love others.

You are truly amazing and I don't know what I would do without you. I love you very much and although it is late, I hope you had an amazing birthday. I am sorry I wasn't there to celebrate it with you.

Fe-male Ce-lebs...Just Cuz.

For Chad

Today as I was driving to work, I got stopped on the on-ramp. Of course, I immediately thought, "Dang it, traffic, knew I should have taken the other route." However, as I waited, I realized the police had stopped us because of a funeral procession.

First came a bunch of motorcycles with American flags and veteran flags. Then I looked up ahead and on an overpass I noticed a firetruck with the ladder raised up holding the USA flag. I realized it was a soldier who had died.

The funeral procession was so long. I sat for a good five minutes in my car and for some reason I wanted to know who it was. I got out my phone and began the search.

After some search, I found out it was 22 year old Cpl. Chad S. Wade of Bentonville. He passed away on December 1. None of the obituaries say exactly how he died but it was while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan.



Just one of the thousands that have died fighting for our country. He deserves some respect. I don't know why I care so much...but something just hit me about it and I know that I should care. He was husband and son. I can't imagine the pain his family is going through.

Give a moment of your day to say thanks. He was just 22. But he sacrificed his life to go over and fight for the War on Terror, Operation Enduring Freedom.

Thank you Chad.

A Thrill of Hope

Guys! It is December the 8th! Christmas is coming so fast and I don't have time to sit and feel Christmas-y. I have not even had time to decorate the apartment with Ashleigh which just sucks.

However, since my schedule is so busy, I have had to intentionally think about the fact that it is December and my favorite season is here.

Think about it with me for two seconds. (okay, maybe a little longer)

Now, I know there are a lot of Grinches out there. You may be one of them. And that is okay. Then there are the people who don't even remember the real meaning of Christmas, what it really means and stands for.

Between these two things, it is easy for a lot of people to become bitter towards this holiday. However, because of my passionate love for the holiday, it can't affect my mood.

I know it is sad people forget the real meaning of Christmas and a lot just tend to focus on the gifts, the parties, the lights, etc...I feel your pain Cindy Lou-Who...BUT- here's the thing...They are still happier. Unless they are a Grinch or Scrooge, everybody, whether they know it or not, are coming to a time of celebration because of the birth of Christ.

Ha! They are being tricked into celebrating the birth of Christ. :)

Okay, probably not ideal but still. I don't want to let the burdens of this world keep me from celebrating the best, most meaningful holiday ever. It is a time of happiness. Don't try and fight it, that's just dumb.

I was listening to "The First Noel" the other day and these lyrics which I have sang probably a bazillion times caught my attention.

"A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices"



That is what Christmas is: A thrill of hope. And because of this, the weary world with all of our struggles and all our pains, we can find reason to rejoice because Jesus came to earth. Something pure, undefiled, and sinless, came to this world to save us and love us. I won't ever be able to fully comprehend that but I know it is a pretty dang-good reason as to why I should celebrate.

So all to say, I hope you guys enjoy this holiday. Spread the cheer, don't hinder it. Rejoice!

May you not just experience this thrill of hope but also be a thrill of hope for someone this Christmas.

“You have to remember Pearl Harbor,” Puccio said. “I'll never forget it.”

"World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Sylvester Puccio photographed with a replica of the USS West Virginia BB-48 in the kitchen of his home Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 in Rome. "Your first ship is your first love, so they say," said Puccio when discussing the West Virginia , the ship he was assigned to during the war." (www.uticaod.com)












On December 7th, 1941, 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded from the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Take some time and be thankful today.

I know the day is almost over and I know you are really busy, but these guys deserve at least one minute of your time. If it wasn't for them, you might not even have the option to give up a minute of your time.

We are forever indebted to those who served for our country.

MK&A: Ridiculous but Intriguing

Edicts from Lucky

I was reading Lucky Magazine and they had 100 edicts that the editors live by. Here are the 15 top ones I circled.

1. Hair: Blow-dry to the side rather than (or in addition to) upside down for volume.

2. No beauty product can do for you what eights hours of sleep can.



3. Always have at least one black-tie dress in your closet in case of last minute celebrating.

4. Buy clothes that you will wear on a Tuesday afternoon, not a Saturday- few people lead Saturday-night lives.

5. Packing: Roll, never fold.

6. Never get on an airplane without a chasmere blanket or huge scarf.


7. Most useless advice from a salesperson: "You can wear it with jeans."

8. Things that look crappy on a hanger could look gorgeous once you put them on.

9. If something is expensive, leave it behind for 24 hours. If you are still obsessed with it the next day, buy it.

10. The one remaining style rule to never break: no more than three colors in one outfit.

11. Your waist isn't wear you think it is. It's about three inches higher. Put another way: the most flattering spot for a waisted dress to hit is just under the rib cage.


12. By age 30, every women should own three pairs of comfortable flats, three pairs of walkable heels, and two pards of total sexpot stilettos.

13. In life you will need four bags a big, slouchy weekend one; two good-looking but practical work ones; and a sleek evening one. Minimum.

14. A leather jacket looks great with a party dress.

15. Pairing a boyish piece with a girly one will make you look like you know how to dress.

Choosing to be happy and loving the cold

Just because I know this is true doesn't mean I am always going to act like it is.



But for now, I am acting like it is because I am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota embracing the 20 degree weather and loving being with my family! I am such a Yankee, it is pathetic.

The Last Song - The book is better but I love this scene...

Mono to Movie

First off, I am sorry I have been so pathetic lately. I had mono and I didn't know this for the first three weeks and it really messed with me mentally and physically. (Hence all the depressing type posts/pictures. I mean, I am normally a pretty happy person.)

For the first time in my life I felt completely out of control, overwhelmed, insufficient, and incapable of doing anything to the standard at which I hold myself. I would sit down to write a paper and absolutely nothing would get done. Focusing was almost impossible and it was the weirdest, most awful feeling for a while. I was about two steps from diagnosing myself with A.D.D. and getting medication to help.

It was after falling asleep on my boss's desk at work,taking two hours naps during the day (which I didn't have time for), and having a sore throat for three weeks, I began to think "Hmm... I may actually be sick." So I went to the nasty, community clinic here in Siloam and it was confirmed. I had/have mono.

Thankfully, I am now on the down slope but I am still exhausted and creativity in my writing is still escaping my brain but I am trying. I am beginning to get back on track. It feels a lot better.

But for all of you who are completely overwhelmed with life whether it is school, family, friends, financial things, or maybe all of them together, know that I completely understand how you feel. And its okay to be mad, sad, and even depressed.

It will pass. I hate that saying because I really didn't feel like it would over the past few weeks but it will. It is just the season of life you are in and you know what, you are not in control anyways. Remember: God works for the good of those who love Him, even though I felt like I was failing at loving Him too. But that is why He is so great. He doesn't care how much I fail. He just loves me regardless.

So all to say, the pieces will fall together, this season will pass, and you know what: Harry Potter is coming out tonight! The final film! You can't be upset today! I know everyone is excited!




"Harry Potter has reached out to an estimate of 200 countries, spoke out in over 69 languages and has touched the lives of more than 400 million people. It is the phenomenon that ignores race, age, gender or religion and it has brought us together despite all our differences. We are the Harry Potter generation."

Although I wish this quote could be said in regards to something else, there is unrelenting truth to it.

I am excited. And geeze, they are so grown up.

B & W