1. I resolve to stick with my daily Bible reading plan. Some years, I get lazy. Some years, I get busy and distracted from it. Some years, I get so into it, the reading itself distracts me from reading. That is to say: Tangents happen. For example, last year, I developed a Bible family tree online (see it in my links) based on the genealogy of the Bible. I got so into it, I neglected the rest of the reading. This year, I need to stick with the schedule. If something piques my interest, I should make a note of it for further study later, and plow ahead with reading.
2. I resolve to practice memory assignments with the family. Hunter and Orion don't speak much yet, and most verses would be too much to get Katrina to even repeat after me, much less memorize for recitation later, but Rachel and I ought to go over it together because "iron sharpens iron". We should do so in front of the kids, too, so they become accustomed to it, and will learn to participate as they develop the ability to do so.
3. Having first resolved to exercise godliness, secondarily, I resolve to exercise my body. I've never been very physical, but I think a moderate amount of exercise is wise to stay healthy. Weight has never been any kind of concern for me - I think I have a super metabolism. However, I think that metabolism is finally slowing down a little bit. At the age of 27½, I've gained more weight in the last six months than I have since the end of puberty. I've put on five to ten pounds, so that I finally crested the... wait for it... drum-roll please... 130 pound mark! I know; I know. I'm a scrawny, puny, tiny little twerp. Believe me, though; it's noticeable. According to Rachel, when my mother-in-law saw our last family portrait she commented that my face looked heavier; and it's true - I noticed it in the mirror well before the picture was taken. So, as I finally creep toward normalcy in the weight department, I want to manage that weight in a healthy way.
I bought a couple ten pound barbells on sale at Target the other day and immediately began doing two sets of 25 reps in the morning and two sets of 25 reps in the evening. As I condition myself, I will work up to the more ambitious 25 pound barbells I've had sitting around for a few years. And, with conditioning, I should get back to using my pull-up bar on a regular basis.
Now that temperatures are slowly on the rise - for how long we don't know - we'll resume walking to Bible study on Wednesday nights. We did that for a few months in the Summer and Fall, but then it got too cold. We did so this Wednesday, and hats and gloves would have been better, but it was certainly tolerable. On Wednesdays, the church meets at my parents' house, half a mile from us. So, that makes for a pleasant one-mile-roundtrip walk. The ground is level the whole way, but one of us is pushing a double stroller while the other pulls a heavy wagon. We'll have to put this part of the regimen on pause before Rachel is too far along in the pregnancy, but it's good for now.
Squirrel actually tastes a lot like chicken...and it's not that greasy. I liked it, although it was hard to get past the fact that I was eating a squirrel.
You'll be amazed what Katrina can remember. I think she and Rosemary are about the same age (Rosie just turned 3) and she can quote the same memory verses that Willow can... sometimes she needs a word or two to get started.
And, speaking of conditioning, you could rig up a harness so that you can pull Katrina and Rachel in the wagon and push the boys in the stroller on Wednesday nights if Rachel gets to the point that a 1/2 mile walk is too much.
I really enjoy the seasonal songs in December, but of course refrain from listening to religious music treated as holiday faire, so I make my own mix CD's, with fun, secular songs.
The first one, Rachel and I did in 2003, with this playlist:
1. Home for the Holidays...by Perry Como
2. Winter Wonderland...by Billy Gilman
3. White Christmas...by The Drifters
4. Blue Christmas...by Elvis Presley
5. Christmas at Ground Zero...by "Weird" Al Yankovic
6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!...by Boots Randolph
7. Jingle Bell Rock...by Bobby Helms
8. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree...by Brenda Lee
9. Sleigh Ride...by The Ventures
10. Feliz Navidad...by Jose Feliciano
11. Santa Claus and His Old Lady...by Cheech & Chong
12. Happy Holidays...by Andy Williams
13. The Chanukah Song [slightly edited]...by Adam Sandler
14. Deck the Halls...by Jackie Wilson
15. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer...by Elmo & Patsy
16. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer...by Gene Autry
17. Santa Claus is Coming to Town...by Gene Autry
18. Little Saint Nick...by Sugar Ray
19. Nuttin' for Christmas...by Barry Gordon
20. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)...by Nat King Cole
21. Jingle Bells...by The Singing Dogs
22. Sleigh Ride...by Billy Gilman & Charlotte Church
23. The Chipmunk Song...by The Chipmunks with David Seville
24. Warm & Fuzzy...by Billy Gilman
25. The Night Santa Went Crazy...by "Weird" Al yankovic
Then, we did this one for 2008:
1. Welcome the Piper [Bagpipes]...by The McCallans
2. Appalachian Christmas Carol [Bagpipes]...by The McCallans
3. We Need A Little Christmas...by Percy Faith
4. Carol of the Bells...by American Boychoir
5. Silver Bells...by Dean Martin
6. Please Come Home for Christmas...by Charles Brown
7. The Christmas Song [NOT Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire]... by Weezer
8. I’ll Be Home for Christmas...by Larry Chance
9. Run, Rudolph, Run...by Chuck Berry
10. Little Saint Nick...by The Beach Boys
11. Up On The House-Top...by The International Children’s Choir
12. Must Be Santa...by The International Children’s Choir
13. The Man With All The Toys...by The Beach Boys
14. The Twelve Days Of Christmas...by Mitch Miller and the Gang
15. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas...by The International Children’s Choir
16. You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch...by Boris Karloff
17. Miniature Overture (The Nutcracker)...by Peter Tchaikovsky
18. Carol of The Bells...by Mannheim Steamroller
19. Wizards in Winter...by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
20. A Mad Russian’s Christmas...by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
21. Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24...by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
22. Melekalikimaka...by The Beach Boys
23. I Wish You a Merry Christmas...by Bing Crosby
24. Celtic Christmas Carol [Bagpipes]...by The McCallans
25. Auld Lang Syne [Bagpipes]...by The McCallans
I'm already contemplating the playlist for 2009's Festivus CD. I've got a few ideas, like the "Home Alone" theme, a few tracks from "The Nightmare Before Christmas", some more from "The Nutcracker", "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Johnny Mathis, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Johnny Mathis, "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney, and "I Wanna Be Santa Claus" by Ringo Starr. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band is out of the question. Any other suggestions to fill out next year's playlist?
I love iTunes for this reason. I made Eric a CD with Sinatra, Mathis etc. on it and we so enjoyed it. Ella Fitzgerald has some wonderful holiday music as well.
We exchanged gifts with family yesterday morning since I work today. That's not a problem since we've never stuck with tradition as to when to open our gifts. Since it's a holiday, I'll be earning time and a half. It was crazy; my nephew Connor, playing Santa's elf, just kept stacking gifts next to me and Rachel that we couldn't open because we were so busy helping the children with theirs and trying to record who each gift was from. Aye, yi-yi! (Is that how you spell that?) What a nice problem to have, though, huh? Too many gifts? Can't complain.
One gift I received was an automatic donut machine. We put it to the test this morning. It didn't pass. My sister's going to try to replace it. We ended up making donuts on the stove. Not too bad.
Last night, eight of us saw Blue Man Group perform at the Venetian. They had half price tickets available for locals, so we took advantage. It was crazy. Crazy weird. I liked the percussion on the paint drums and the PVC, but the rest was strange. It satisfied my curiosity to see it, but I won't be going again.
My Dad is already driving my grandparents back to California. My sister Jen is flying back to Colorado. My other sisters are visiting their husbands' families in Arizona before they return to Georgia. It was a brief visit, but I'm grateful everyone came here for the holidays. We didn't all get together last year, and the year before we got together here, so by all rights we should have been in Colorado or Georgia this year, but everyone was accommodating us since I can't afford to fly my family cross country or take any time off work.
We won't know if it's a boy or girl for another seven weeks or so, but today Rachel and I found out we're expecting just one baby this time around. We are happy with one, and would have been happy with more, but I think most of our family is relieved.
My Dad returned from California on Saturday with my grandparents. My sister Melissa, her husband John Paul, their kids Katelyn and Ethan all arrived Saturday night. My sister Jen is getting picked up at the airport right now. My sister Laura, her husband Jason, and their kids, Curran, Connor, and Cody should arrive tonight. My parents' house and our house will be full for the holidays.
Rachel and the children's delayed return today was supposed to have them arriving at about 1:00, not enough time for me to pick them up and take them home before going to work, but enough time for me to pick them up and spend time with them, then let my mom come get them before I go to work. However, even their delayed return is being delayed, by at least an hour. Now, I can't even go get them. Hopefully, they will stop by my work and let me see them before they go all the way home. I sure need to see them.
Here's a snippet of an article about our weather I just saw online from USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2008-12-18-snowstorm-west_N.htm?csp=34).
Flights resumed in and out of Las Vegas, but schools and highways were closed Thursday after a record-setting snowfall coated marquees on the Strip, weighed down palm trees and blanketed surrounding mountain areas.
The city awoke to clear weather after a storm that left 3.6 inches at McCarran International Airport. It was the biggest December snowfall on record there, and the worst for any month since a 71/2-inch accumulation in January 1979, forecasters said.
The storm Wednesday and early Thursday also dumped snow on rain on much of southern California and parts of Nevada outside Las Vegas and northern Arizona.
The National Weather Service measured 3.6 inches of snow overnight at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, and meteorologist Jerome Jacques said about 2 inches was left before dawn on the ground near the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.
The weather service recorded 7.5 inches of snow at McCarran on Jan. 30-31, 1979.
The snow Wednesday prompted the cancellation of all flights in and out of Vegas. Visitors parked and posed for pictures wearing hooded jackets.
Such a deal I got for you. We are heading for Phoenix tomorrow so we'll just pick up Rachel and the kids, take them with us to New Mexico, then bring them back on January 3rd. Since we're not going up to Vegas, you can just zip down to Blythe and get them. How can you beat that for a plan?
