bruised body and ego, here I come!

David and I will be leaving for Breckenridge (seen above) on Wednesday from New Orleans. I so look forward to getting out of town and seeing great friends (Jocie and Julia) and having a few nights in a nice hotel with cable tv (I'm not that hard to please really). However, I do feel a little nervous about the getting there and back part. Catching a plane always seems too complicated and hectic...especially compared to jumping in the car. There are so many things that are outside my control in catching planes. I always have this weird fear that I will miss the plane. Another thing I don't look forward to is the holiday traffic. I never had to fight it but I hear its awful. What I think will be fun will be seeing a snowy town at Christmas with all their decor. I am expecting beauty and wonder and lots of fun hot drinks. I guess all the good things will make up for sore muscles I'll have.
Our dog, Cora, will be staying with my parents through our trip and while we are at David's parents through the 27th. New Years will be spent with my family. It is strange to think that this will be the first Christmas that I am not with my parents. I have mixed feelings about it. My parents are planning on having a new year's eve party, but other than that I am sure it will be relaxing. We decided that since we weren't going to be home for the 25th that we would postpone Christmas till we got back. Hopefully, it will be like we never missed it.

how to look like a zombie 101

This blog is a little late in coming but I just uploaded the pictures from our camera into the computer. David and I had several people over to watch a beloved neo-classic, Shaun of the Dead. I was introduced by my cousin whose taste in movies in some cases make me cringe--but he got it right this time. I introduced it to David and we both wanted to share it with the world--a gospel of comedy, if you will. Who says that just because "Dead" is in the title of a movie about zombies that it can't be hilarious? This movie beautifully combines horror, some drama, and comedy. We are not talking about a nod-in-acknowledgement kind of funny here. This is laugh out loud profoundly funny. We tried to set the mood for the mini-party with treats and wine. We relabeled the wine as poison and the skittles were spider eggs. It was a fun night and I think we made some believers out of our guests in the power of funny.

note: do not see the movie if you are especially sensitive to gore and blood or if you hit the ceiling when someone says "BOO".

JOY to the world the LORD has come!

This past weekend we attended the Belhaven singing Christmas tree. For those of you who are not familiar with the event, it happens every December and is put on by Belhaven college for free for the Belhaven neighborhood (and beyond). It is held in the soccer bowl where tons of people congregate to hear traditional Christmas hymns and carols from a whimsical people-tree (seen above) with lights and everything. I've always looked forward to the singing Christmas tree--it is such a festive event! This year David and I got a great spot on the ground and cuddled under a blanket with our hot drinks--so fun. Hearing the hymns reminded me of what it was like for me to hear those hymns for the first time after becoming a believer. There was one particular Christmas where I was rediscovering the beauty of hymns such as Joy to the World, O Holy Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Come all ye Faithful, Silent Night, and O Come O Come, Emmanuel. I told David that I felt sad for those who hear those songs and don't know the magnitude of their meaning. I sang these songs for years as a kid and had no idea how impacting the words were. I love that in the Christian life there is always some new truth unfolding before us as more and more scales fall from our eyes. Rediscovering those hymns was one of those sweet moments for me. I can remember singing those songs, meditating on those words and feeling an intense wonder and joy over the truth that was so plain to me starting at that point. I could barely sing through one without tears stinging my eyes. Those hymns are so sweet to me. They send a strong message of hope to the world, to the lost, sick, distressed, and overwhelmed. Well, and I am always on the lookout for anything that's growing hope. What hope there is for us in knowing that Jesus has come to conquer evil in a way most unimaginable!