Three Weeks in a Nutshell
It is officially Christmas Eve! Phases 2 and 3 have come and gone, and they were absolutely amazing! Phase 2 was Friday, December 4. At midnight, my friends serenaded me with a lovely chorus of "Happy Birthday" and then proceeded to text me from across the room, and even from the same couch. We watched Elf and then went to get donuts, which is something every student must do at least once to enjoy the full "college experience." Every good college student knows that donuts are best when freshly baked...even if it requires trips during the wee hours of the morning.
After sleeping off the donuts, I went to my class at 9:00. When I returned, I found a lovely surprise. Harmony had made a huge sign wishing me a happy birthday and taped it up in the hallway for all to see. It was so cute! I plan on putting it up in the room when I get back. When I walked into our room, my bed was covered in red balloons and my desk held a delicious treat. There was a swiss cake roll tower with candles on top, a sign that made me laugh out loud, and presents! Harm got me the first season of House, a Vera Bradley I.D. holder, and.........a new book light! Harmony is, hands down, the best roommate ever. I thank God for blessing me with such an awesome friend and dorm companion. After I enjoyed a swiss cake roll, I packed up my things and headed home for the weekend. That afternoon, I was able to visit with some of the women in my family that came out to my grandma's house. It was so much fun to see everyone and catch up! That evening, I went out to eat with some very special girls. After Tesa, Brittany, Kristin, Lauren and I got our fill at Olive Garden, we went through the Starbucks drive-thru and then headed out in search of Christmas lights. We saw some pretty houses, counted how many penguins we saw, and managed to get lost in a subdivision. In our defense, there were dead ends everywhere. After experiencing that particular subdivision, we decided to call it a night. When I made it back home, I found that we had guests. The Marneys had come out to see with my grandma. After having a lovely visit with them, Tesa and I decided to get some beauty sleep.
As for Phase 3, it was just as awesome as the previous two phases. Hannah and I rode together to the concert where Bethany Dillon, Phil Wickham, and Shane & Shane played. It was an awesome night of worship. I was really impressed with each person who got on stage; they all seemed very genuine. Phase 3 also meant that a lot of our friends from school came down for the concert, so it was fun getting to see everybody. We all went out to Phifer's afterwards for food, ping pong, cards, music, and even story time. It was a fun evening of fellowship with great Christian friends.
Since then I have finished up finals, moved back home, decorated for Christmas, and recuperated from a busy semester. This past weekend, we had our Christmas celebration with my dad's side of the family. It was good to see everyone and spend time with my cousins that I don't see very often. My brother's girlfriend, Becca, came with us and at one point my brother got down on one knee....to tell her that her shoe was untied. I wasn't expecting anything since they're both still in high school and have only been together a few months...but it was really funny to see the expressions everyone else had. Jacob, the trickster. My brother sure lives up to his name. That night, I put up a Christmas tree in my grandma's living room and decorated it with the help of Jacob, Becca, and Hannah. I also put up the musical Christmas bells around the stairwell. There's a speaker that plays music and the bells light up for their individual notes. Growing up, they were a favorite among the grandchildren....and they still manage to make us smile every time we pass by them.
Tesa came down Monday night and we had a Veronica Mars marathon. Yesterday we went Christmas shopping and dined on Chinese food. Then we decided to end the evening with a blast from the past. Kristi N. graciously let me borrow her movie, Winning London. I hadn't seen it in quite some time and neither had Tesa, but actors from the movie had been popping up in other shows that we had watched recently. So last night we revisited 2001 and the dramatic styling of the Olsen twins.
Tomorrow I'm taking the kiddos to see Alvin and the Chipmunks 2. I also have to wrap presents and bake cookies....I think it's going to be a wonderful Christmas Eve. Friday, I will have to be up bright and early...I know the kids will be up at the crack of dawn to open presents. Then it's Christmas dinner with the family, candlelight service with my awesome church family and going to bed early because Saturday=ROAD TRIP! I'm very excited and can't wait to write all about it!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends, and lots of blessings. As for me, I'm going to celebrate the birth of my Savior and rejoice in the promises He has already fulfilled, and those He has yet to fulfill. I'm going to remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas, and what that means for me. Without the birth of Christ, there would be no salvation. Without salvation, I would be hopeless. But Christ did come. He was born on earth and lived among sinful men, just so he might save them. It is only because of this that any of us have a chance at eternal life...and it all began with His birth. I will celebrate the day that He was born, because He came for the sole purpose of living and dying to save the world. I'm going to end with lyrics again...I just can't resist. These are only excerpts from the song, not the whole thing. The lyrics come from one of my favorites, "I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K.
After sleeping off the donuts, I went to my class at 9:00. When I returned, I found a lovely surprise. Harmony had made a huge sign wishing me a happy birthday and taped it up in the hallway for all to see. It was so cute! I plan on putting it up in the room when I get back. When I walked into our room, my bed was covered in red balloons and my desk held a delicious treat. There was a swiss cake roll tower with candles on top, a sign that made me laugh out loud, and presents! Harm got me the first season of House, a Vera Bradley I.D. holder, and.........a new book light! Harmony is, hands down, the best roommate ever. I thank God for blessing me with such an awesome friend and dorm companion. After I enjoyed a swiss cake roll, I packed up my things and headed home for the weekend. That afternoon, I was able to visit with some of the women in my family that came out to my grandma's house. It was so much fun to see everyone and catch up! That evening, I went out to eat with some very special girls. After Tesa, Brittany, Kristin, Lauren and I got our fill at Olive Garden, we went through the Starbucks drive-thru and then headed out in search of Christmas lights. We saw some pretty houses, counted how many penguins we saw, and managed to get lost in a subdivision. In our defense, there were dead ends everywhere. After experiencing that particular subdivision, we decided to call it a night. When I made it back home, I found that we had guests. The Marneys had come out to see with my grandma. After having a lovely visit with them, Tesa and I decided to get some beauty sleep.
As for Phase 3, it was just as awesome as the previous two phases. Hannah and I rode together to the concert where Bethany Dillon, Phil Wickham, and Shane & Shane played. It was an awesome night of worship. I was really impressed with each person who got on stage; they all seemed very genuine. Phase 3 also meant that a lot of our friends from school came down for the concert, so it was fun getting to see everybody. We all went out to Phifer's afterwards for food, ping pong, cards, music, and even story time. It was a fun evening of fellowship with great Christian friends.
Since then I have finished up finals, moved back home, decorated for Christmas, and recuperated from a busy semester. This past weekend, we had our Christmas celebration with my dad's side of the family. It was good to see everyone and spend time with my cousins that I don't see very often. My brother's girlfriend, Becca, came with us and at one point my brother got down on one knee....to tell her that her shoe was untied. I wasn't expecting anything since they're both still in high school and have only been together a few months...but it was really funny to see the expressions everyone else had. Jacob, the trickster. My brother sure lives up to his name. That night, I put up a Christmas tree in my grandma's living room and decorated it with the help of Jacob, Becca, and Hannah. I also put up the musical Christmas bells around the stairwell. There's a speaker that plays music and the bells light up for their individual notes. Growing up, they were a favorite among the grandchildren....and they still manage to make us smile every time we pass by them.
Tesa came down Monday night and we had a Veronica Mars marathon. Yesterday we went Christmas shopping and dined on Chinese food. Then we decided to end the evening with a blast from the past. Kristi N. graciously let me borrow her movie, Winning London. I hadn't seen it in quite some time and neither had Tesa, but actors from the movie had been popping up in other shows that we had watched recently. So last night we revisited 2001 and the dramatic styling of the Olsen twins.
Tomorrow I'm taking the kiddos to see Alvin and the Chipmunks 2. I also have to wrap presents and bake cookies....I think it's going to be a wonderful Christmas Eve. Friday, I will have to be up bright and early...I know the kids will be up at the crack of dawn to open presents. Then it's Christmas dinner with the family, candlelight service with my awesome church family and going to bed early because Saturday=ROAD TRIP! I'm very excited and can't wait to write all about it!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends, and lots of blessings. As for me, I'm going to celebrate the birth of my Savior and rejoice in the promises He has already fulfilled, and those He has yet to fulfill. I'm going to remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas, and what that means for me. Without the birth of Christ, there would be no salvation. Without salvation, I would be hopeless. But Christ did come. He was born on earth and lived among sinful men, just so he might save them. It is only because of this that any of us have a chance at eternal life...and it all began with His birth. I will celebrate the day that He was born, because He came for the sole purpose of living and dying to save the world. I'm going to end with lyrics again...I just can't resist. These are only excerpts from the song, not the whole thing. The lyrics come from one of my favorites, "I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K.
"And the first time that You opened Your eyes,
Did You realize that You would be my Savior?
And the first breath that left Your lips,
Did You know that it would change the world forever?
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me.
And the hope that You give,
That You were born so I might really live.
I celebrate the day
That You were born to die,
So I could one day
Pray for You to save my life."
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