...reflections and resolutions...

well, I suppose I'll join the crowd and do a reflection on 2005. So here's a list of monumental happenings of 2005.

*graduated from Baylor over a year ago.

*got my first job in ministry at Tallowood Baptist Church

*moved into an apartment all by myself in Houston

*lived through my first VBS as Preschool Associate

*my sister had another baby, lil Blakers

*mom gave us a huge scare with all her appendicitis and diverticulitis, 3 surgeries in one year, praise the Lord she is doing fabulously!!!

*survived my first semester of seminary, and really enjoyed it

*learned what its like to have friends that live far away in other states

*learning how to be independent and make it on my own

*learned that I can't make it on my own, must rely on family and friends, and most of all God.

That's most of what I got for 2005, so here's some ambitions for 2006:

* I really would like to lose some weight. I know this is terribly cliche, but I've gained too much weight in this yr in Houston, and its disgusting me, so I'm going to work out and eat right, I'll let you know how it goes.

* Be more consistent in my walk. Talk to Him daily, be in the Word daily, Live for Him, not for me. This life is not my own.

I think I'll leave it at that. That's going to keep my busy enough, I mean, let's be realistic, I may be dreaming with all this anyways.

So there you have it, reflections and resolutions!

Super Duper: Heading to DFW tomorrow and am going to be able to hang out with old friends!!
Super Pooper: throat still hurting, in fact getting worse

...I'm back...

Well, for what its worth, I'm back, but for a limited time only. I'm leaving town again on Sunday for an I-term at Southwestern main campus in Ft Worth. Let me do my best to recap my Christmas vacation to Corpus.

Tuesday night, December 20th - got in town to surprise my family, they thought I was coming in Wednesday night.

Wednesday (Dec 21st) - stayed home all day, wrapped a million presents, babysat Brady and Blake...Overall a fun day

Thursday (Dec 22) - ran errands with mom, shopped, did Christmas with Brent, Katy, Brady and Blake, Kelly, mom and dad...Very very fun

Friday (Dec 23) - honestly all the days run together and nothing special sticks out in my mind, this may have been my the day I got to eat at my favorite restaurant in CC!!!!

Saturday (Dec 24) - mom gave Kelly and I $40 to fill each others stockings since the other girls weren't going to be there on Christmas morning it was our special treat (don't let anyone under the age of 12 read this, or they'll know Santa doesn't fill stockings). but it was a new tradition and quickly became a competition. It was so fun to find things. We ended up hooking eachother up phat!!! so much that it took 2 stockings to fit all of our stuff for eachother. We're defiantly keeping this tradition. That night we went to the Christmas Eve service, saw some old friends, always good to catch up with old friends. The bummer was that we used to always, and I mean always have a candle light service where all the lights are turned down at the end and we sing Silent Night, but the new pastor doesn't like fire, it makes him nervous. So no candlelight service. and get this, he wasn't even there!!! ugh...anyways, in keeping with tradition we went over to our best family friends after the service. It's 3 families: my family (the Berry's), the Nichols', and the Davis'. A few years ago my dad made up the name, the 'Darrols'. figure out for yourself the word combo. anyways, it was super fun. Then went home and got our traditional Christmas Eve pajamas.

Sunday, (Dec 25th) - woke up, dad made homemade Belgium waffles, as he always does on Christmas day. Kelly and I opened our phat stockings from eachother, went to church, wrapped presents, cooked, waited and waited for Kristy, Trent and Ashlyn to drive in from Waco, ate a wonderful steak dinner (also tradition for us), then FINALLY opened presents. It takes us hours and hours because we open one at a time...anyways, it was a wonderful Christmas. We all raked it in phat, in honor of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The rest of the week was just fun hanging out with Ashlyn, shopping and eating. The only other story that deserves telling is that on Wednesday I attended a his and hers wedding shower for a guy that I've gone to school with since 3rd grade and he lived down the street from me. Anyways, it was a blast from the past, old friends from middle school and HS were there, it was really fun, old times, reminiscing.

I headed home (to Houston) on Thursday after shopping and hanging out with mom, Kristy and Ash. Its always so hard to leave after spending so much time with the niece and nephews.

Overall, a fantabulous time at home.

FYI - I'll be incommunicado for another week or so....till then.

Super Duper: had a blast today setting up 3 new preschool rooms for the Saturday Night congregation...I love my job

Super Pooper: I'm exhausted, and for some reason have larengitis, which may be turning into a cold...bummer, major bummer

soory this got so long

...a sad realization...

Tonight was the Single Adult Christmas Party. It was really nice. It was up at the church, nice sit down dinner, there were probably about 40-50 people there. We played this fun game where they put a name of a famous person on your back and then you have to figure out who you are by asking yes or no questions. It's rather fun and a good conversation starter. Then after dinner they showed clips from various well known Christmas movies and we had to guess what movie it was from and the winner got a prize. I didn't do too well, but it was fun. Here's the deal, out of the 40-50 people there, there were only 2 other people there in their 20s. Now, I'm not trying to hate, I enjoy the people who were there, but its just a bit odd to hang out with people who are 10-15 yrs older than me. The fact that they are closer to my parents age than my age is just plain weird. So anyhow, it was just a sad realization to look around the room and realize that not only are the prospects for datable material slim, but even just the prospets for friends is low. Any how, I guess I'm just still struggling with not having my group, my girls to call and hang out. I don't mean to be depressing, I love my life, really I do, its just different, and at this rate, how am I ever supposed to find Mr. Right? I suppose just have faith! Okay, I'm done, that's my rant for the night! Incase I don't post again, Merry Christmas!

Super Duper: Got all my clothes hung up today (trust me, this was a huge accomplishment)!!
Super Pooper: Still have a few loads of laundry to do.

...and the rain came pouring down...

Yesterday was the entire staff (secretaries, maintenance, and ministers) Christmas lunch at Brenner's (remember my fine dining from about a month ago (if not see post from November 11), yes that's the place). Well yesterday was also the day that a huge front decided to blow in with intense rain and thunderstorms. By the time we were supposed to leave for lunch, 11:00, I was making jokes that we all needed our paddles so we could use a raft to get to the restaurant. Well, we made it there fine, all 40 of us, but it was terribly messy. Well, what really added to this drama was that our reservation was for outside. If you recall, it's a beautiful scenary. Now on any ordinary day this would have been marvelous, like today for example, it was glorious today, but no, our reservatoins were for yesterday, outside, in the pouring rain. Well, they have a tent like structure, with metal posts and all, and clear roofing and walls made out of clear tarp. Well, we all got settled at started thinking that this was all very risky. We were trusting our staying dry on this not so permanant structure. Anyhow, it was lovely (I actually enjoyed the rain), but still sketchy. Well it wasn't too long till a lady sitting at another table had a few drops on her sleeve. So she moved seats. About that time I felt a drop on my cheek. The people at my table tried to convince me that it was just condensation. A few mins later I felt another drop on my lap, then another, and another. There was now a constant drip. So we moved me over and scooted the table. As soon as we got settled with 8 of us crowded around 2/3 of the table, the drip turned into a full on rain cloud. There were about 20 drops now falling right were I had been sitting. It was at this point they decided to relocate our entire table. So, we moved away from this rain cloud. What had happened was a huge puddle had formed and wasn't running down the roof, it was hinged on a metal bar, and so the pressure was getting really heavy and now starting to leak. Here comes the best part, no the whole roof did not let in. Oh, incase you forgot I need to remind you that this is very fine dining and by this point the manager was out there in his Armani suit assisting in any way possible. That meant now that he was on a ladder holding a squegee with a long handle and began punching the puddle so that it was forced to run down the roof. This worked, but it was only a matter of time before another puddle formed in its place. So to prevent that from happening they duck taped this long squegee (sp?) to the ladder so that it was propped up against the roof, preventing another puddle from forming. The whole escapade was hilarious and definately a lunch that will be talked about for years. The whole fact that it was at one of the nicest restaurants in all of Houston is what made this priceless. The food was spectacular!! So as we finish up our meal (which included 3 adorable bite size desserts!!!), the manager came out to apologize. While he was assuring us that this was not the norm, the wall where the tent met the outside of the building began leaking because the wind was blowing so hard. It was spalshing up and many people were very close by. Then one of the walls became unvelcroed and flew up so the wind and rain came in. At this point the manager quit talking and he and another man in a nice suit went outside in the pouring rain and held the walls down untill we left (which was about 10 mins). It was insane! Quite a memory!! I was laughing the whole time!!!!

Super Duper: tomorrow's friday and i'm don't have to work!!!
Super Pooper: made cookies tonight with my friend and ended up making a huge mess and most of them weren't even that cute...but I guess it was good bonding time!

...where to begin...

oh, I have backed myself into a corner!!! I have gone so long since I really last blogged that there is no way I can fully fill you in. Let's back track and do the best readers digest version possible, hang in there, it will end!

We'll start with last Wednesday, December 7, my birthday:

I had a fabulous birthday!! My mom sent me the cutest outfit, snazzy pants with gold thread and a gold sweater, and sequined brown shoes...felt VERY cute!! Got 2 wonderful arrangements of flowers delivered to me at work. My boss took me and 2 of my closest Houston friends (secretaries at T-wood) to one of the nicest steakhouses in Houston (Taste of Texas) for lunch. Then for dinner Janelle and Rebecca (the secretary friends) were gonna run to PeiWei for dinner (cause I refused to eat dinner at the church on my b-day). Well they surprised me by inviting a few work friends to join us, I didn't know till I got there, that they were going to join us, a very fun surprise!!! Then I ran to a mtg/ornament exchange with all the Preschool SS Directors. They all surprised me with a cake, and then they had each brought me an ornament (so I took home like 20 ornaments), and then Susan, my boss, pulled out a 7 1/2 ft pre-lit tree!!! AMAZING!! I never saw any of it coming! It was truly an amazing birthday!!!

Thursday: Had a big Preschool Christmas party at the Womack's. They gave me a gift cert to Taste o' Tex and then my first nativity scene!! It's beautiful. Made out of olive wood in Jordan (yeah, the holy land!!!).

Friday: Home with mom in the hospital (she's doing great by the way, probably will go home tomorrow!!!)

Saturday: headed back to Houston. Saturday Night Church, then attended Festival of Carols, the annual Christmas special service that T-wood puts on. It was beautiful!! Then attended a very fabulous Christmas party. There were close to 100 people there, wonderful food catered by Carraba's!! Oh, it was a fab party!! Amazing decorations, with the largest tree I had ever seen in a person's house!

Sunday: church, then had a wonderful day with my friend, Rebecca!! We met at Garden Ridge to purchase a few things to decorate my tree with. Then headed back to my apt to decorate the tree!! It was great! I had brought a few ornaments back from Corpus, and with all the ornaments that the teachers had given me, it turned out great!! Then we made a random dinner, nice, but random. Then headed to Narnia!! I defiantly recommend it! It was intense, not sure it was made for a very young audience though, but that 's another topic.

Monday: actually went to work today, as opposed to being in class for 8 hrs, so that was a nice change. Had a dinner Christmas party tonight with Child Care workers, it was nice!!

I have another Christmas party tomorrow night with the ministerial staff, progressive dinner. Should be fun. Then on Wednesday a very very very nice lunch with all staff (support staff, etc).

Really, that's all that's been going on, other than that nothing new. Who am I kidding, this is exhausting. I love the Christmas Season, but it's nonstop. When am I supposed to get any shopping done? So, consider yourself updated!!

Super Duper: Fabulous Parties
Super Pooper: The calories included in eating at all these engagements!!!

...The day that will live in infamy...

as many of you know, yesterday was my birthday, a crazy unexpectedly good birthday! no time now, but details to come...

Super Duper: Christmas Party tonight
Super Pooper: I'm exhausted already and the Christmas Kraze has just begun

...one semester down, far too many to go...

well, i officially finished my first semester of seminary today. don't ask how it went, finals were rough, well, one of them was, the other was fine. anywho, i'm not really in the mood to talk about it!

the main thing is that its over and i get a few weeks off!! i would get a solid 6 or 7 weeks off, but for some crazy reason i signed up for an I term the first week of January. but today, and for the rest of this week actually, i'm not going to think about that! this week is no stress week, just have fun!

so the new thing on my mind is of course Christmas, and what to get everyone. There are 10 other people in what i call my immediate family and I must buy for all of them. I actually already have a gift for my mom and blake, and i know what i'm getting for ash and brady, but as for my sisters and the bro-in-laws, i got nothin!!! time for shopping is at a minimal with all the Christmas parties in the next few weeks, and i'm not exagertaing. so wish me luck. oh, i forgot to mention that there are still other people i need to buy for, including my boss (any ideas em?).

so, let the Christmas season begin, now that finals are over the parties can begin!!!

Super Duper: it's ashlyn's b-day today and she LOVED the present I got her!!! I wrapped it up and sent it home with her at thanksgiving, so it's been taunting her for 2 weeks!! she was so excited to open her easy bake oven!!
Super Pooper: mom's having surgery (the final one) on Wednesday!

...Blog obsession...

So, a good friend of mine and I decided that we are considering starting a blog company. We would be blog consultants. Help people get their blogs started, learn their way around the blogging world. I mean, think about it, you were very confused when you first got started. Asked yourself questions like, how do I post my picture? How do I add links to my friend's blogs? We would even offer to write their blog for them, if they weren't able to keep up with it, for a fee of course. Who's with us? We need a clever name! Any ideas? Let us know, we might let you in on the company if we choose to go with your idea! We would be looking for other consultants as well, so if you're interested put together a resume and we'll get back with you. We're looking for people with experience and who know the blogging realm. The advantage of this company would be that we could run it from our homes. I mean, who isn't looking for a job to do right out of the comfort of their own home? Well, friends, we'll keep you posted as to how this idea develops!

Super Duper: Christmas parties on the horizon
Super Pooper: Still more studying, Monday is the day