So maybe this sounds a bit materialistic, but I promise it's not. I got some GREAT presents this year, and I just had to share with you what they were! I'm not doing this to try and make you jealous. Promise! I am so pumped about this stuff, I just had to let you know what it was! Maybe you could see your presents in a different light as well! Who knows! All I know is that I couldn't stop smiling while compiling this list! ENJOY!
-The look on my mom's face when Claire would walk towards her with her arms raised in the “Pick me up!” fashion.
-The apple pie Nate was feeding Claire, all the while laughing his head off as she would walk towards him chanting “Nyack! Nyack!” (That's baby for 'Snack'). She learned quickly that the more she said it, the more pie he would give her! Uncle Nate = Sucker!!!
-The movies and football games I got to watch with my father-in-law, as well as the dinners and lunches we got to have together.
-The smile my wife gave while watching our daughter unwrap presents or playing in her ball pool.
-Laughs from Danny, whether it's text, phone, face-to-face...
-The numerous long conversations with my brother about life, ministry, movies, football, memories, hopes, video games, family, music, and Best Buy.
-The 2009 Brothers Bowl (not aired on ESPN or ESPN2, but hoping for a contract)...without even throwing a pass
-A couple of free movies with some incredible guys & sticking it to Yuppietown (yes, this counts as one present because they go hand-in-hand)
-The tears in my mother and mother-in-law's eyes while Amanda and I opened gifts with that “I love you so much more than I could give you” look.
-Laughs from Afghanistan!
HONORABLE MENTION:
So these don't make the Top Ten, but worth telling you about:
-The look on my wife's face after Claire spit-up on her...face. And in her hair. And on her neck. And so on.
-Lunch and conversation at the Country Fisherman in Mendenhall, Mississippi
-Remington Drive
-Getting to have Christmas breakfast with my cousin Brett
-Whitney, Perryn, Reed the Man-Child, Dani, Torri, Christopher (excuse me, Arthur!), Gillian, War-chief Will, Bailey, and other old-schoolers
-Bragging about the students I have the blessing to know to people who probably won't meet them this side of eternity
-TOD with Mongoose
-The look on some of some former students' faces when they saw Claire...with me!
-A Playoff spot (Thanks, HG!)
And the list goes on and on...I hope you enjoyed what you were given, because the best gifts aren't found under a tree or in a box or even with a bow. So, for the final time, Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year!! May you learn to thrive in the overflow and drink from your saucer!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
College CRASH Christmas Party
Simply put: I love the CCC Party. Now, I'm sorry to any and all that may be offended by the following, but I must give credit to my friend "Trips" and admit that I readily agree with her presumption that it is my favorite Christmas party/event I attend yearly. It is simply unbelievable!! Here's the rundown from this year's event:
We had about 35 folks gather in the YAB (we gotta get a better name for that thing!) to celebrate. Of course, Ricardo spent the large portion of the day cooking, which happened to be spaghetti with a special sauce this year. Magnificent! Of course, the conversation was filled with stories of the freshly concluded semester, memories of times together, and simple laughter from the joy of once again being reunited....and many remarks about Stephanie's interruption of one HIGHLY emotional (and Jamaica's favorite) Prison Guard's story of God's faithfulness on the mission field!!
Once the meal ended (and the laughter grew), we re-arranged for our annual College War over who could walk away with the finest prize found in the wrapped packages!! There were many candidates for best gift: Terminator movies, G.I. Joe, Nerf Shotguns, Snuggies...all great gifts. The most popular gifts (those most traded) were items like a Hello Kitty Toaster, a Mag Lite, some other kind of flashlight, an iTunes gift card (illegal), the Bump-It, and a funny-yet-awkward board game. But the most desired gift above all was the shirt. Now this isn't just ANY shirt. No no, this shirt was special. It was from my friend K-Town, and this shirt had to change hands at least 20 times or more!! I'd love to tell you more, but it just couldn't do it justice. Once the smoke cleared and we all realized what we had done, we smiled, laughed, loved, and cleaned up. It was beautiful.
Is this post meant to inspire you? Remind you of what you missed? Bore you? While it may have accomplished all of this, the purpose of these words were to remind you to do one special thing this Christmas: spend time with the people you love, and love every minute of it by loving them. One of the best gifts you get every year, but rarely take the time to stop and be thankful for, is the people in your life that make the most of your life. Enjoy your parents, friends, siblings, cousins, grandparents, neighbors, in-laws, or whoever else you absolutely adore. Your Christmas would be quite lonely without them. You can always find new presents, but those beautiful people God has placed in your life are the true gifts. And just like all presents, Remember, don't shake too hard!
Of course, THE GREATEST GIFT is Jesus Christ, which is why we celebrate Christmas at all. Praise God for the greatest Christmas present I could never find on my own: Salvation.
Merry Christmas to All!!! Much love...
We had about 35 folks gather in the YAB (we gotta get a better name for that thing!) to celebrate. Of course, Ricardo spent the large portion of the day cooking, which happened to be spaghetti with a special sauce this year. Magnificent! Of course, the conversation was filled with stories of the freshly concluded semester, memories of times together, and simple laughter from the joy of once again being reunited....and many remarks about Stephanie's interruption of one HIGHLY emotional (and Jamaica's favorite) Prison Guard's story of God's faithfulness on the mission field!!
Once the meal ended (and the laughter grew), we re-arranged for our annual College War over who could walk away with the finest prize found in the wrapped packages!! There were many candidates for best gift: Terminator movies, G.I. Joe, Nerf Shotguns, Snuggies...all great gifts. The most popular gifts (those most traded) were items like a Hello Kitty Toaster, a Mag Lite, some other kind of flashlight, an iTunes gift card (illegal), the Bump-It, and a funny-yet-awkward board game. But the most desired gift above all was the shirt. Now this isn't just ANY shirt. No no, this shirt was special. It was from my friend K-Town, and this shirt had to change hands at least 20 times or more!! I'd love to tell you more, but it just couldn't do it justice. Once the smoke cleared and we all realized what we had done, we smiled, laughed, loved, and cleaned up. It was beautiful.
Is this post meant to inspire you? Remind you of what you missed? Bore you? While it may have accomplished all of this, the purpose of these words were to remind you to do one special thing this Christmas: spend time with the people you love, and love every minute of it by loving them. One of the best gifts you get every year, but rarely take the time to stop and be thankful for, is the people in your life that make the most of your life. Enjoy your parents, friends, siblings, cousins, grandparents, neighbors, in-laws, or whoever else you absolutely adore. Your Christmas would be quite lonely without them. You can always find new presents, but those beautiful people God has placed in your life are the true gifts. And just like all presents, Remember, don't shake too hard!
Of course, THE GREATEST GIFT is Jesus Christ, which is why we celebrate Christmas at all. Praise God for the greatest Christmas present I could never find on my own: Salvation.
Merry Christmas to All!!! Much love...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Home Alone
My wife and daughter have been missing from our house since Friday morning. Here are a few differences I have noticed:
-It's quieter...and this isn't necessarily a good thing...
-Lots more available hot water
-I've left my 360 controller out on the coffee table for a record 3 days without putting it up
-Elvis and Riley sleep LOTS more than I originally thought (maybe I'm just THAT boring!)
-There's a LOT more room in the bed when I'm the only one...but I fill that space with pillows
-I can turn the TV up LOUD...even after 8:30 p.m.
And these are just a few things. It's been different. There have been some nice things about it. But overall, I'm ready for them to get back. Elvis just doesn't make me smile like Claire can, and Riley isn't that good of a cuddler.
Tonight is our CRASH Leadership Christmas party. It's going to ROCK!! Our parents have volunteered to serve the leaders that volunteer to minister and love on their children (teenagers). What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas!! Giving back to those who give freely of themselves for the benefit of their teenager! I love it.
And even though I'm home, I still imagine the girls around the house. Prime example, I'm waiting for the party to start and the guests to arrive, and started looking in the mirror thinking, "If Amanda were here, she'd make me change outta these blue jeans and 3/4 length t-shirt." So now I'm in my Sunday pants with button-down shirt!! She'd be so proud (don't tell her I'm still wearing my Pumas though!).
So tonight, I'll leave from the party and embark to my two-dog-empty home. The Packers are playing tonight, and since no one will be at the house to watch tv, I've already changed the channels on BOTH tvs to be on the right channel to where when I get home, alls (for you, PPP) I have to do is turn on them on and watch the game!! After much victorious delight (hopefully), I will retire to sleep in my big, lonely bed.
It's been a relaxing and quiet time without my girls.
I won't miss it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL (...yeah, all 3 of you that read this...BUT YOU MATTER!!!!!)
-It's quieter...and this isn't necessarily a good thing...
-Lots more available hot water
-I've left my 360 controller out on the coffee table for a record 3 days without putting it up
-Elvis and Riley sleep LOTS more than I originally thought (maybe I'm just THAT boring!)
-There's a LOT more room in the bed when I'm the only one...but I fill that space with pillows
-I can turn the TV up LOUD...even after 8:30 p.m.
And these are just a few things. It's been different. There have been some nice things about it. But overall, I'm ready for them to get back. Elvis just doesn't make me smile like Claire can, and Riley isn't that good of a cuddler.
Tonight is our CRASH Leadership Christmas party. It's going to ROCK!! Our parents have volunteered to serve the leaders that volunteer to minister and love on their children (teenagers). What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas!! Giving back to those who give freely of themselves for the benefit of their teenager! I love it.
And even though I'm home, I still imagine the girls around the house. Prime example, I'm waiting for the party to start and the guests to arrive, and started looking in the mirror thinking, "If Amanda were here, she'd make me change outta these blue jeans and 3/4 length t-shirt." So now I'm in my Sunday pants with button-down shirt!! She'd be so proud (don't tell her I'm still wearing my Pumas though!).
So tonight, I'll leave from the party and embark to my two-dog-empty home. The Packers are playing tonight, and since no one will be at the house to watch tv, I've already changed the channels on BOTH tvs to be on the right channel to where when I get home, alls (for you, PPP) I have to do is turn on them on and watch the game!! After much victorious delight (hopefully), I will retire to sleep in my big, lonely bed.
It's been a relaxing and quiet time without my girls.
I won't miss it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL (...yeah, all 3 of you that read this...BUT YOU MATTER!!!!!)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Christmas Tiiiiiiime is Heeeeeeeere...(Which Christmas Special is THAT from??)
I love the Christmas season, as do many, and enjoy seeing it come around each year. Now, I also don't mind seeing it go away for a little while, but love having it around. My ideal Christmas season involves lots of cold weather (snow optional...although I've never had a white Christmas and would like to try it out sometime), eggnog -- particularly Vanilla Spice (can I get an a-men from a male McCabe?!?), bright Christmas lights, seeing ALL my friends and family, Christmas music, incredible Christmas movies, and so on.
What? Which Christmas movies? Glad you asked...(not in this order necessarily):
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ("Take you out in the desert, leave ya for dead??")
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ("I want to be...A DENTIST!")
A Christmas Story ("Fra-jeel-a...oh, must be Italian!")
A Charlie Brown Christmas ("Sure, Charlie Brown, I'll tell you what Christmas is all about.")
Elf ("Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?")
Fred Claus ("The lightning quick guy with the yellow thingies...")
To name a few...
So now you know, even though you didn't ask.
But then again, that's why this is MY blog!!!
Merry Christmas!
What? Which Christmas movies? Glad you asked...(not in this order necessarily):
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ("Take you out in the desert, leave ya for dead??")
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ("I want to be...A DENTIST!")
A Christmas Story ("Fra-jeel-a...oh, must be Italian!")
A Charlie Brown Christmas ("Sure, Charlie Brown, I'll tell you what Christmas is all about.")
Elf ("Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?")
Fred Claus ("The lightning quick guy with the yellow thingies...")
To name a few...
So now you know, even though you didn't ask.
But then again, that's why this is MY blog!!!
Merry Christmas!
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