2005...a year in review...

December, 2005: J and I make out like bandits at Christmas - mp3 players, emerilware, J's trip to the Browns-Steelers game, a half-day spa for me, a mini-dvd camcorder, and so on and so-forth. The "kids" come with us to Ohio, since we hadn't arranged for a babysitter for Kitty. Howie (mom's dog) is no longer a little snausage (he's finally lost weight). J spent Saturday at the Browns-Steelers game (his Christmas gift from Angie) and Angie got to hang out all day with Katie (yay!)...then Sunday was spent with Angie's family and Monday with Jeremy's. Kristie (J's sister) told us that she's due again - in August (YAY!) and after we returned to my sister's, Suzann called and said that she, too, is preg-o! OLE!!! Jeremy played basketball with "the guys" from his old church on Tuesday night, and we headed back to DC on Wednesday. On Friday, we proceeded to NYC (with the kids, again!) and made a valiant effort at New Year's Eve in Times Square. Unfortunately, all of the cross streets were closed, so we couldn't get over to Broadway once up there. We spent midnight a block away, in front of Radio City Music Hall. We still got to experience the madness, don't you worry, and we have plenty of video footage to prove it. :o) New Year's Day, we headed back to DC. Earlier in the month, J's parents came to visit, I helped my girl Cynthia throw a mini Christmas get-together at her place, and she and I went to the Christmas Tea at CHBC (J and my church).

November, 2005: Jeremy turns 26, and Thanksgiving is spent in Ohio, as usual. I visited Kristy in Florida at her and Jeff's new house at Southwind YL camp for Kristy's birthday...Jeremy went to Ohio and watched the Ohio State game at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe with "the guys" and when he returned, I attempted my first ever batch of lasagna. Nobody got food poisoning, which is a plus :) Aimee and Steve had their baby, and our friends Heather and Tyler get married - ole!!! :) Congrats!!! Karr (our nephew on J's side) turned 2. Angie got pink eye. Ick.

October, 2005: Jeremy and I celebrate our one-year anniversary driving back from Ohio for Kristy's baby shower. J watched the game at his parents' and I missed it...c'st la vie :) Katie Moffitt came out to visit (YAY!) and we learned a valuable lesson about pennies...they are virtually worthless. (Just FYI, although they are legal tender, the company that runs that parking lot for Arlington Cemetary refuses to accept more than 5 at a time...random.)

September, 2005: Labor Day weekend was spent visiting Tony in NYC - just exploring the city. J and I also headed back to Ohio for Aimee and Steve's baby shower. Jeremy tries to tie his shoes like a pregnant lady (with a balloon up his shirt), but doesn't win the game...the girls play the guys in Family Feud and win, and Angie comes in second in the "fill in the blank" game with Nursery Rhymes. We stayed at my sister's house and went out to WalMart and bought Jake his Halloween costume: Darth Vader. We are subsequently woken up the next morning at 4:30am by two kids playing with light sabers (wooooooooonnnnnn) and the heavy-breathing of Darth Vader. I love my nephews :)

August, 2005: J and I went to our first-ever Washington Nationals game (they were playing the Reds, so I got tickets thru the UC Alumni Association) - the Reds won, I believe, but it was a very good game. Speaking of the Reds - I don't know if I can stomach being a fan anymore, after they dealt the heart and soul of the team...Sean Casey. My girl Cynthia turned 2* years old ;o) Jeremy played in part deux of the softball tournament. My girl Zann had a birthday, as well :)

July, 2005: J and I see RASCAL FLATTS in concert @ Nissan Pavilion (YAY!!!!), Jeremy plays in his church softball tournament, which mostly gets rained out. LAUREN AND MIKE GET MARRIED! (What a beautiful wedding!) We drove back to DC from Ohio on the 4th of July, and had friends over to watch the fireworks from our balcony that evening. :) My sister had a birthday, as did my girl Lolo.

June, 2005: I spent the month in Long Beach, California (can't complain!) for work - during which time, I got to see Megan for the first time in ages, AND I got to meet her husband, Rafael, and their little one, Kaylee - so cute! Jeremy and Tony also came to visit, and J and I went to see Brad Paisley in concert - with Reba McIntyre - SO good!!! When Tony visited, we went to a restaurant called La Palapa Del Mar, which was EXCELLENT. I spent a great deal of time on the beach, and Jeremy and I learned the disasters of AirTran Airways (his flight from DC-Atlanta was delayed on Friday, so he missed his connection to LA - and had to arrive the next day...then his flight from LA-Atlanta got diverted to pick up passengers in Texas, was subsequently delayed, and he missed his connection from Atlanta-DC, making him another day late and unable to work the next day. They at first refused to acknowledge anything went wrong, and then finally sent us a $100 coupon for us to use on Air Tran. We won't be using it...or them, ever again - anyone heading to Atlanta, though (as that seems to be the only place their planes can actually manage to get to), let us know - the coupon is yours!) My mom, Katie, Cathy, and my friend Elizabeth all had birthdays :)

May, 2005: I turned 25 and we celebrated by going to Old Ebbitt Grill (very Washingtonian - very yummy!) :) My girls and J and I all also celebrated at Caribbean Breeze with Mojitos (yum). Jenni (J's cousin) graduated, as did Chad (our best man) and Kristen (one of my YL girls). Jake turned 5, and we spent Memorial Day weekend at Rockbridge YL camp hanging with the Northern KY YL folks - J and I did the ropes course together and I managed not to pee my pants on the gigantic swing at the end. :) J and I helped Tony move most of his stuff to NYC to his new apartment, and we had Laur's bridal shower. :) Buckeye had some abcesses that had to be removed and had us really worried for a bit - but she came thru it like a champ. We love our little girl! Megan and Rafael got married :)

April, 2005: Jason turned 2, and Lauren P, Amy Scherr, Rick Scherr, Aimee Brissey, and my brother-in-law Matt all had birthdays. Chris and Kristie came to visit. The Cherry Blossoms came out. J and I went to see Jeremy Camp and Mercy Me in concert (front row!)...they were UH-MAZING! :) Buckeye got spayed. Jeremy went to Talladega (NASCAR race) with his dad, and J's grandpa died.

March, 2005: J's parents came to visit. I went to the CHBC womens' retreat (which was AWESOME. Our speakers were Carolyn Mahaney and Carolyn McCulley. C. Mahaney spoke primarily toward the married women and C. McCulley towards the singles..I SO wish I had heard from McCulley about 5 years ago - what kind of heartache could have been avoided! :) If interested, they both have amazing books - Feminine Appeal by Mahaney and Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? by McCulley. Mahaney's husband, CJ, also has a number of very good books :)

February, 2005: J and I went to the Caedmon's Call concert (really cool! Andrew Peterson opened for them, and the whole thing was at this GREAT old theatre in Frederick, MD). We celebrated Valentine's Day at Maggiano's (AWESOME Italian food) and Tony's brithday was on the 19th. Michelle and Matt came to visit (without the boys!), and Michelle and I went to a newly-married-women's brunch @ a girl from church's house - Michelle wasn't so newly married as I was, but it was a great get together nonetheless :)

January, 2005: J and I get our new Sleep Number bed put together (it's FABULOUS!!!) and I stop having headaches ALL the time - amazing what good sleep will do for you!!! :) Kristy came to visit (ole!!!) and George was inaugurated for a second term (which made this city kinda crazy for a day or two - and the libs crazy for another 4 years...!) :) My buddy Lew came into town (he now lives here) and we had him over for dinner. Life, of course, settled down from our October wedding, and we geared up for another crazy year. :)

Hearing from an old friend...

Have you ever noticed how nice it is to hear from an old friend...someone you hadn't spoken to in years - and then, out of nowhere, you hear from them, and you remember the sweetness of the person and their friendship - and even if you were friends with them through a rough time in life, you remember their kindness and gentleness - and that time doesn't seem so rough in retrospect?...

I definitely think it's one of the more joy-bringing experiences in life. Realizing that, maybe it's time for me to reach out to some old friends that I haven't spoken to in ages...friends from high school, or Young Life...Speaking of Young Life, I miss it...I miss investing in lives that way. One of my discipleship girls, Lauren, is getting married in May - and she sent me an encouraging email the other day, telling me about the fruit that she bore, as a Christian - one of her discipleship girls...who is now investing in other girls...and has her own discipleship girls - and Lauren traced the chain back to my investment in her life...it's so encouraging to see what God can do with people's lives...I told Lauren that it didn't stop with me...but that the chain went back through my YL leaders, Glynda and Lisa...and certainly those who invested in their lives. And it's not just my YL leaders, but the people who invested in my life along the way - like Wendi and Aimee and Amy Scherr. It's just cool to see the interconnectivity - and it's a testament to how we are all in need of one another. It makes me want to get connected again with YL. I know that work makes it virtually impossible - especially since I'll be travelling a lot in the upcoming months...but wow, I need to invest...in people. :)

Not a whole lot else is going on here w/J and I...we're headed to Ohio for Christmas, as usual. Looks like Saturday, we'll do lunch with his family, and then Sunday will be spent at my aunt's and then at my mom's for Christmas with my sister, brother, brother-in-law, mom, and nephews. I'm pretty excited about it all :) J keeps telling me that he has some "great surprises" for me...which is a switch from last year - last year, I had "the perfect" gift for him, and he was struggling to shop for me - it's the opposite this year :) But I have some ideas up my sleeve. However, 30 years from now I am definitely going to have to drop this insane desire to get him "the perfect" gift...because I believe I will have used up all the "awesome" gifts out there by that time!! :)

For those of you who haven't seen it, here is J and my Christmas picture w/the "kids" :) It looks like we are strangling them, but I promise, we're not. :) They're just not quite camera-friendly :) Merry Christmas!!! :)

Birthdays...

So tomorrow is J's birthday. I find myself trying superhard to be SuperWife again...what am I doing for his birthday, you ask? Well, on the offchance that he reads this while he is in Ohio hanging with the guys for his bday, I shall not reveal, but I am convinced he will be thoroughly happy with it! On another note, I am attempting to decide whether or not I should try to make him lasagna (his favorite!) myself, or if I should just take hiim out to dinner...I've never made lasagna before, so it could get a bit scary, and after Katie (holla!)'s story about trying to kill Derek (not really) with glass-filled lasagna (the pan broke), I'm not sure that I am up for the task. We shall see :) If all else fails, I can always take him to Dave and Buster's....ahh the perks of being married to someone who will likely ALWAYS be young at heart! :)

The last week, I've been in Ocklawaha, Florida. Kristy has moved to the boonies of Florida. REALLY boonies. They essentially live in the Ocala National Forest. I didn't have cell phone service the whole time I was there, except when we went "to town"...I thought that my mom lived in the middle of nowhere, but wow...their place definitely took the cake. I kept wondering if I'd see alligators! It was also amusing to see a Husky peeing on a palm tree. Interesting juxtoposition, for sure! :) They also have horses practically in their backyard. Niiice :) Kristy and I went to Daytona Beach one day, laid out at the pool @ the Young Life Camp that Jeff now works at (Southwind), and made curtains (by hand, no sewing machine!!!) for her house. We also shopped for some bathroom stuff and they got the COOLEST shower curtain. I'm not sure if Jeff loves it as much as Kristy and I do, tho! :)

So I flew in last night and Jeremy flew out this morning - he'll be back tomorrow, tho, and in the meantime, I have Buckeye to keep me company :o) I also have nursery in the morning @ church and then we have potluck and then I'll be picking up J at the airport tomorrow evening. :o) Fun!

The Definition of Conviction...

So I've heard this song on the radio a few times recently, and I realized how much it resonates with my life...sadly. I just find that so many times in life, it's so easy to be a hypocritical Christian - to say all the right things and then not live it out. It's so much harder to live the life when everything else gets in the way. I think every period of life has its own challenges - but one challenge that remains in all seasons of life is to take all of the issues and the events and the people and the things (like work!) clamoring for your attention, and still give the glory where it is due. This song is such a convicting song...the question is, will I allow that conviction, whether from a song or from the Spirit of God, to change my life?


Believe
Donna Lasit
I say on Sunday - how much I want revival
But then my Monday, I can't even find my Bible!
Where's the power? The power of the cross in my life...
I'm sick of playing the game of religion.
I'm tired of losing my reason for living.
Where's the power? The power of the cross in my life...

I'm not content just to walk through my life
Giving into the lies...
Walking in compromises now...
We cry out - as a generation that was lost
But now is found - in the power of the cross!

We believe in You
We believe in the power of Your Word and its truth
We believe in You
So we lay down our cause...that our cross might be found in You!

I'm not satisfied doing it my own way...
I'm not satisfied to do church and walk away...
I'm not satisfied, there's no love in my life but You.
I'm not satisfied living in yesterday's hour...
I'm not satisfied to have the form, but not the power...
I'm not satisfied, Oh Lord I am crucified in You

lalalala :)

Go Buckeyes!
So the Aztecs are somewhat of a "weak" team...but I think the Buckeyes put up a stellar showing against them...and once again, AJ Hawk was the MAN! Time to start prepping for a tough team, though...

I've been working crazy hours lately, as has Jeremy, but thankfully, my long hours may be coming to an end...ole! *fingers crossed* :) At least it's fun and interesting, right? Right. :) Just have to keep reminding myself of that!...and the people are great!

Jeremy is considering a new job...he's been testing with Arlington County Fire Department, and we'll see where that goes...Again, *fingers crossed* :)

Not a whole lot else going on here - probably going back to Ohio in a few weeks for my friend Aimee's baby shower...it'll be a great opportunity to visit my sister and brother in law in their NEW house :) Can't wait to see it! According to Michelle, Jake is adjusting to the new school and all - and he has a friend named Larry :) Can't wait to see the boys and check out the new place! :)

It's been 11 months almost...!

...I-O... :(

OK, so I guess life goes on...the Buckeyes lost a heartbreaker to Texas last Saturday. Now, I call it a heartbreaker, not because the Buckeyes deserved to win - they really didn't, by the way they played. However, AJ Hawk and Bobby Carpenter deserved to win that game...especially AJ. I have never seen a player fly across the field like that before. I mean, wow...he was kamakazi and it was beautiful. He alone deserved to win that game. I was so impressed with him. In an interview prior to the game, he told people that he was afraid of his mom because she'd get all up in his face and be like "YOU BETTER GET OUT THERE AND KILL SOME PEOPLE!!!" and like tell him he'd better kick some a** or he was in TROUBLE...! I just think it's hilarious that a guy who can have 7 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles, 1 interception, and 2 sacks in a game against the number 2 team in the country with a heisman candidate QB would fear his mother :) Evidently, his mom decided back in the day that she would rather watch AJ HIT people than watch her other son (a QB) GET hit. I hope one day I'm a tough momma like that ;o) Maybe a TINY bit more compassion, tho... ;o)

This week has been somewhat nuts...we've both been working long hours - and Jeremy has his firefighter's test on Saturday - fingers crossed and prayers lifted for that!!! :) Hopefully we'll get to relax and watch a Buckeye victory after his test on Saturday and then just chill for the remainder of the weekend :) It'll be wonderful!!! :)

O-H...!

This week is all about getting PSYCHED for the game on Saturday. If the Bucks can play the quality game that they played vs. Miami last Saturday, they will have NO problem with the Longhorns. As Mahl said, "we WILL mess with Texas" :) Amen, brotha :)

The remainder of our trip to NYC was great - Sunday, we did some shopping and I FINALLY found some tennis shoes that I loved and then we went to Central Park (but we never found the zoo, so we didn't get to visit Alex, Gloria, Melman, Marty, and the Penguins) - from there, we walked down Fifth Avenue and saw Trump Tower and all the crazy expensive shops and then to Rockefeller Center - and from there, on to the Empire State Building. We went to the top of the Empire State Building and paid an arm and a leg to do it, however, we "expressed" to the top, so we didn't have to wait in the crazy long lines like everyone else. Jeremy said it made him feel "important" :) ole for that!!! :) We also went down to Battery Park, took the subway over to Brooklyn and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge back into Manhattan at night - VERY cool to see all the lights. I'd share pictures, but alas, my camera isn't so stellar at taking the nighttime photos and all you see are some light dots here and there :( We walked from there through Chinatown and up into Little Italy, where we ate a late dinner and then took the subway back to my brother's. 'twas a busy day :) We didn't get to see the Statue of Liberty - but that leaves us with something to do..."next time" :)


Last night, we took dinner to the Pearson's (the leaders of our small group Bible Study from church) because they just had a baby - and then we went to my friend Cynthia's for a little fiesta :) It was a fun time all-in-all :) Now I am ready for a break and a nap! :) Thankfully, today is Tuesday, and the week is almost half over already (ole!!!)...which means another weekend coming soon...and time for the Bucks to lay the smack down on Tejas! :) O-H!!!!!!