Home! (and more)

I'm home!! I've been in the great state of Texas since Sunday and have been having a great time. It's so good to see my sweet family. We've been busy non-stop. So far I've gotten to eat lots of Mexican food, watch the Cowboys beat the Giants, shop with my mom, watch a movie with my sister (Made of Honor, not that great), and cheer for Conner at a basketball game!

Finals ended last Thursday and then Anne and I went to Raleigh for two nights. I went to Natalie's shower and got to spend a couple days hanging out with her. It was great to see her and it was so fun to talk about all the crazy things we used to do...her friendship has been such a blessing to me over the years!

After leaving Raleigh we headed to Gatlinburg for my office's Christmas party. Carli and I brought Anne and Sarah with us. The company rented hotel rooms at The Lodge at Buckberry Creek and it was wonderful! We had a fireplace in our room, free hot chocolate, tea, and coffee, and a massive room that overlooked the mountains, which had snow on them! It was a great way to wrap up the craziness of finals before heading home the next day! Here's a picture of us after dinner:

Now to add to the craziness of this post, I almost forgot what happened Monday morning. I was joyously awoken by my dear sister and her friends getting back from camping at 7:00 in the morning. Not only were they screaming, but I also had a wet nose pressed against my face at the same time. Why, you ask? Well, they had found two puppies while camping and had brought them home. The two puppies, Dakota, and three screaming girls woke me up early Monday morning. The puppies have since found homes with someone else, but they were very cute and we had fun playing with them all day Monday. I really wanted to bring one home with me to Knoxville, but I already knew that plan would not be approved by one of my roommates, so I sadly had to let them go to someone else. :-( Here's a picture we took of them, although it doesn't even begin to give you a true picture of their cuteness:






Today's Conner's birthday. He's 15, which means he can start driving now...crazy!! He's also 6'2", which means he towers over me and the rest of the family, and has been doing an incredible job playing for his high school basketball team. He's an awesome brother and I respect him greatly. Here is a picture of him and me from this summer.

Well, I've got to go run errands, bake a cake, and clean the house with my mom and sister, but hopefully I will be more on top of blogging. However, I make no promises!

The Miracle of Christmas

This is one of my favorite Steven Curtis Chapman Christmas songs. It's called "The Miracle of Christmas" and I was especially struck by the chorus tonight. Isn't it cool that we worship the same God that came to earth as a tiny baby boy over 2,000 year ago?


A child is born tonight in Bethlehem
His mother holds him close and sings a sweet lullaby
All the world is sleeping unaware that God himself has come in the night

The shepherds tremble as the angels sing
And in their song the voice of God speaks peace to the world
A miracle has happened, God has come and God has spoken
But the miracle has only just begun

And the God who spoke is speaking still
And the God who came still comes
And the miracle that happened still happens in the heart that will believe
And we see (receive) the miracle of Christmas

So come to Bethlehem again and see
The One who's come to rescue us, our Saviour and King
Bring your past, the joy, the sorrow, all your hope to find tomorrow

And hear the words again, fear not and know that God is near

For the God who spoke is speaking still
And the God who came still comes
And the miracle that happened still happens in the heart that will believe
And receive the miracle of Christmas

Believe the miracle of Christmas
Will you believe?

The Craziness of Life

So I think I've definitely proved that I'm a HORRIBLE blogger. Maybe I'll get better after finals are through and I have a little less craziness going on. Maybe not though. Probably not, actually.

Here's a super-quick summary of the last few weeks:

I went to Alabama with my friend Hannah and her family for Thanksgiving. I had a great time and I was so grateful that they invited me to join them. It was the best thing I could have done outside of going home!

I have written about 10 papers in the last two weeks, which is totally insane. I would never recommend it.

I am done with finals on Thursday. I go to Raleigh for two nights for Natalie's shower (I still think it's weird that she's getting married, but I'm coming around to the idea :-) and I cannot wait!! Anne is coming too to visit this one boy that she likes. So, that will be fun. We're trying to get Sarah to come too. She and Natalie have both lived in Chile, so I think it's a fabulous idea. She said no so far, though.

Last night I went to a party at Diana's apartment. We had a great time and no one got upset during the games, including myself. I am quite proud of that, I might add.

Oh, and the Cowboys are not looking probable for the playoffs. Ugh!

Here's a picture of some of my sweet friends:

I'm off to bed. Work tomorrow, then studying will dominate my life until Thursday @ 4:45.

Have a great week!