AWESOME!

Got to talk to my long lost friend tonight... what a blessing! I didn't expect to hear from him; I was on skype and he happened to log on and we finally got to talk. Man, what an encouragement it was for me... it was like a blast of fresh air to hear the voice of my true friend.

Don't shave... don't cut your hair... looks great.

Nuff said...

snow day

You guys would laugh... about 1/2 to 1" of snow... and it is not even cold enough to stick to the concrete or the roads. So, imagine snow in the grass and a wet driveway. "School closed due to inclement weather".

Life's pretty easy here, I gotta tell ya. I have never shoveled. I scraped my windows a couple times... but that was easy, too. I walk to school every day now... 2 miles each way. I can't tell you how many people have tried to give me a ride... at least 5 in one day when it was "raining". Everything is close, anything you would want... any food you would want (although I can't eat it)... and 500 churches to choose from.

Could life get any better? I submit that it can NOT!

lol... just a little BR sample...

birthday

Well, had a nice B-day... 39. One more year and I am rolling over the hill... I hope it is just a cliff and make it quick! LOL!

The family took me out to Texas Roadhouse (steak house in the area) and I had one of my favorites... T-Bone steak! It was very good! and then the kiddos got me some of my special treats: peanut M&M's, pistachios, and A&W Root beer.... they are so cute. But they made sure that I would share them with them! They are funny little tikes.

I guess they are really getting into the Fattest City in the world thing! HAHA! (Not really, they are still eating their halloween candy... one piece a day (at most!) So it will last for QUITE a while!

Trimming the tree

So, I am still in the "missing mode" - I wouldn't tell the wife that, but I think this is gonna be the worst Christmas I have had in a long time.

Each year around this time I begin reading A Christmas Carol. It is a very festive and relaxing thing for me and really is fun for me. I look forward to it every year... it is kind of a special, personal thing with me. I should have seen this one coming...

I picked up the book a couple days ago and tried reading it... I couldn't get into it... I have TOO MUCH on my mind! I didn't realize just HOW stressed I really am. I can't even read A Christmas Carol b/c I can't even focus on it. I am not in a good place...

I knew the season was not what I wanted it to be, but then there is more...

We got a "gas burning, fake log" artificial insert for our fireplace. It lights with an electric spark. I lit it and found out something... there is no wood smell and no wood burning sound. It hisses as it burns... that's it. So, that is fake. And it makes me feel like "what in the world am I doing here, in the CITY...?"

Then, tonight, we put up our tree. It is a fake tree. There is no smell and it is out of shape and weird. I have never had an artificial tree before. We always cut our trees ourselves; it was a great family thing and the kids always had SO much fun!! And when we could, we would get with Joe and Danette and the kids and we would all cut our trees together! That was the best! Man, it isn't even COLD here! There is NO SNOW. There are still BIRDS chirping outside! So, I have to admit it... finally... I am depressed.

HOWEVER!!! The kids had SO MUCH FUN! They were hooting and yelling and saying how much they LOVE CHRISTMAS! I am SO glad that they did, b/c if they had not liked it or had said that they didn't like the fake tree... I think I would have just broken down. But, they didn't and they still loved that the family is all together.

I need to learn to see the world through my children's eyes...