Snow Day

I'm enjoying the morning alone. I spent the night with my parents last night (necessary when one suspects a snow day and does not have satellite or internet in her apartment...) and I got up entirely too early to confirm that I would not need to go into work. At 5:45, Memphis City Schools were still scheduled to open. At 6:30, still the same. By the time I got out of the shower, around 6:53, they had just announced that they would follow suit with every other regional county and city and close shop for the day. Crichton College immediately flashed up on the screen. Closed Today. A lovely, white Wednesday to spend reading, drinking coffee and not going to work.
Of course, Friday will most likely be my last day. But going to the school every day and trying to find some work to do while facing the reality that we've shut down, we'll all be terminated and dispersed, and none of us are too sure as to what to do next, is enough of a reason to not want to go at all.
I have "leads". They ebb and flow daily. But there's always something to be thankful for and I know I'll be okay. My loved ones are healthy and I'm getting married in 129 days! Looks like I'll also be returning to the theatre, which I sorely miss. Who knows what else may come along? I am trusting God's plan.
Maybe Mom and I will make bread today. I need to learn that skill...
And there's nothing but free time ahead of me.

Finally, Sun!

I wish you could have all seen the sunrise from Germantown Road this morning. As I was pulling out of my apartment, the clouds were pink and cream and split wide open in the east as a big orange sun peeked out from the horizon. Gorgeous! Shelby Farms was a glorious sight as well. Just as I was admiring it's hazy gold landscape, a flock of geese crossed the sky. Sometimes Memphis scenery isn't that bad... :)

Work even seems better this morning. I'm feeling upbeat. Of course Caleb leaves on Saturday and if I think long enough about that, I'll start feeling down again, but I keep reminding myself that this is necessary. He has to go back to school so he can finish, get his degree and marry me. He has to go because I have to stay here and work and finish getting things ready. I have a million projects planned to keep myself busy. First I will clean out my closet. That should take a considerable length of time.... :( But I don't want to pack up and move anything that I/we don't absolutely need. I am assuming that we will live in a very small space. I am also assuming that we will be very poor. That way, if either of these things proves to be wrong I will only be quite pleasantly surprised and thankful!

Saturday evening, I finally get to have Christmas with Kaye, Jess, and Becca. Finally! Haven't seen my girls in far too long.

More good news: think I finally figured out my new sewing machine. I may try to make a skirt some time soon...!

Have a lovely day.

Back to the Grind

Everything went beautifully well. Christmas was great fun with both families and all travelling was safe and without any mishaps. There was lots of laughter and the only challenge is now figuring out where to store all of the gifts we received from our wedding registry. Not a bad problem to have!

Coming back to work was hard. And apparently this is true for not only me but every single co-worker I've spoken to thus far. And of all days to start a fresh new year, this cold rainy day would probably not have been my first choice. But that's okay. Jesus is Lord and I have a warm little apartment to return to tonight and a fiance who has promised that we'll cook dinner together.

Tomorrow is five months until the wedding. I can't believe it.

Hope you all had Merry Christmases and Happy Beginnings to your New Year!

Ring the Bells!

Looking for a last minute Christmas album that will freshen up your holiday season? Caleb and I (and Taryn :) have rediscovered "Ring the Bells". http://www.fellowshipnashville.org/content/misc7.aspx
It's the perfect blend of carols and modern Christmas music. And the proceeds of the album go to providing water for African villages. Highly recommended.

It's so cold and Christmasy!
I was NOT prepared for said weather and didn't even wear socks with my red bowed flats this morning. We're under a Winter Weather Advisory and once again I'm at work...looking out my office window at the slippery grayness.

Last night I made poppyseed bread and finished wrapping things. Then I quickly took a turn for the worse. Quite honestly, my happy spirit dropped down to my toes and I quickly became a little Christmas brat. You can ask Caleb. :) He forgave me and once again showed me the grace of Jesus. This is such a strange time in our lives. Not only are things being turned upside down in preparation of our marriage, but our families are also undergoing big changes. The season of transition is exciting and wonderful but has also been very emotional. I feel myself more than ever yearning for a physical home that we can share together.

In other news, I dropped the lace for my dress off with Luke last weekend. I'm hoping we'll have a fitting some time soon. I cannot wait to see what it looks like!

Merry Eve of Christmas Eve.

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord....Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist." ~ Isaiah 11:1-2,5

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Oh the drudgery of coming to work on the 22nd just to know that technically, you are only warming a seat and cannot possibly be expected to speak with high school seniors who are fresh out of exams, on holiday break, sleeping until 1 pm and could not think about furthering their education right now if their life depended on it. It's 8:43 and all I have accomplished is slipping a transcript into a file, cancelling an appointment I had previously set up for today and figuring out how much money I have to last me until Wednesday. The pickings are slim and I still have a couple of stocking stuffers and some baking supplies to buy...oh well! Caleb and I have had fun Christmasing on a budget this year. We've been pretty resourceful. In fact, this entire year is all about being resourceful. Have I mentioned that my fiance is designing our wedding invitations? And they're gorgeous?

The weekend was cozy. There was visiting with sweet loved ones, shopping, and Christmas movies. Last night I finished my Christmas novel and tied up another scarf and now there's just wrapping and a bit of baking to finish up. If I could just leave work and go do it...!

"...And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall life down together. And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destory in all my holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea...He will set up a banner for the nations." ~ Isaiah 11:6b-9,12a

Sinus Cocktail, please!

It's that time of year! Sore throat and headacheyness. Not a pretty way to start my day. But after a wee bit of coffee and cranking up the space heater that sets under my desk, I am beginning to feel myself. Our office Christmas party is today so everyone came in naturally festive. There was laughter, exclaimations, a few surprise Christmas coffee mugs passed around and an array of cookies on the front desk by 9 am. Even the normally grouchy ones among us were smiling. That was pleasant.
I was supposed to make a Derby pie for the occasion but after getting ill-ish last night, opted out. I have been given a new responsibility and will be going out to fetch Christmas plates and napkins in an hour or so. I'm a little ashamed of myself because I talk about loving to bake so much and then completely whimped out on the homemade pie. But sometimes you just can't do everything, can you?
But there's so much to be done! I have Friday off and plan on shopping. Last minute Christmas things are piling up quickly. Then I watch this http://www.adventconspiracy.org/ and feel horrible. Every year I say "This Christmas will be small. One present each and it's homemade!" But then every year I get a strange obsession to buy as much as possible so loved ones will have lots of fun things to open up. It's like an addiction. I can't stand it! Of course, next year Caleb and I will probably be poor so just wait....your very own canned preserves and/or crocheted mittens are right around the corner!
Back to the grind...

No Ice Respite

I was hoping, for purely selfish reasons, that we would have a tremendous ice storm last night and I wouldn't have to come into the office today. Instead, I arrived at precisely 7:30 with my cup of Starbucks, to get a head start on the day. Bridges were a bit scary but my route was mostly clear.
I didn't sleep well last night. Work has been extremely discouraging lately and all night I tossed and turned with anxiety. But God's mercies are new in the morning! When I finally got going and came in to work this morning I felt a sense of peace sweep over me. Having to be at work at 8 A.M. has caused me to become a morning person and I find that I am most energetic, happiest, and optimistic in the morning. Now I need to find that same calm in the evenings. Night is when I usually lose my temper and begin to toss out all of the day's revelations.
To help my otherwise foul mood, Caleb surprised me last night with a new pair of nice black gloves (fleece lined!) and a pretty blue and white scarf. So sweet. I love early Christmas presents!
I'm also settling into the Christmas spirit with my new discovery of Pandora.com. You create your own radio station to listen to based off of a song, artist, or type of music that you enjoy. I typed in Celtic Christmas and lovely instrumental carols have been keeping my morning warm and cozy. I highly recommend!
Ah...I had better get that head start on the day.