2013

Maybe a theme for this year will eventually emerge, but for now, 2013 is going down just as a generally delightful 365 days.

There were some high points and lower points, and a lot of average, daily-grind-kind-of days in between. Average can seem lackluster at first glance, but there's a lot of refining to be done -- and faithfulness to be found -- in the daily grind.

And there's something to be said for that.

But regardless of theme (or no theme, as the case may be), it's always a treat for me to reflect on the highlights:

favorite fiction book 

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

most challenging book
The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy (and Kathy) Keller

best and priciest meal
Chicken Fried Steak at Hot & Hot Fish Club in Birmingham

most memorable celebration

Sending a note of encouragement to one person a day, for forty days during Lent

favorite new recipe

Hard to say, but this granola is high on the list

new tech item
Bluetooth speaker

favorite movie

The Butler

favorite chill trip
Charleston, South Carolina, with Nikol and Kellie

new travel destination

Danville, Virginia (commencing even today!)

most challenging scripture
Exodus 24, because it illustrates this so well

biggest disappointment

This half marathon

most painful moment 
The relentless calf cramps from said half marathon

proudest craft moment (that may cover the next 3 years)

The ultimate play mat

spent my birthday

With Dad, Mom and Pat in Birmingham

most awesome mode of transportation
The segway. I wish I had a reason to ride one every single day.

greatest freedom
Having no cell phone for a solid day while at Augusta National

moment that made my heart the fullest
Hearing Little Man say my name with confidence and a toothy grin

biggest purchase

A plane ticket to Italy, to be used in 2014

favorite new iPhone apps

PodCruncher
New York Times Crossword

favorite new beverage

Water flavored with Blueberry Lemonade MiO

best quick trip
Savannah

marked off the bucket list
The Masters

favorite song
“Hosanna” by Jill Phillips

favorite album
Bring Your Nothing by Shane and Shane

I sure hope 2013 afforded you some special superlatives, and that the year ahead is brimming with promise. Happy New Year!

thankful thursday #162

I never complain about my Christmas vacation.

I have the opportunity to see various combinations of friends and family whom I don't see enough during the year. I attend the occasional bowl game as a fan, not on business. My work email is virtually inactive for ten business days. I sleep in a little.

It's usually a nice balance of rest and relationships. No complaints.

This year I'm particularly excited to be road-tripping up the Eastern seaboard between Christmas and back-to-work day.

I'm celebrating a friend's birthday in Charleston; passing through Little Man's house in North Carolina just to hug his neck one more time in 2013; visiting another friend in Virginia who I miss terribly; and saying hi to some other friends and family in Atlanta on my way back home.

As I look forward to this adventure, I'm thankful ...

... for friends and family who take me in when I crash their cities ...

... for some excellent alone time in my car along the way (it really is an introvert's dream travel scenario) ...

... to have a car that can get me safely to all these places (God willing) ...

... for some flexibility I'm afforded by driving ...

... to be spared the incivility of the human race while traveling by air ...

... and for the time to spend leisurely enjoying the people in my world whom I love.

Are you packing every bit of goodness you can into 2013? I hope so.

And if you are, don't forget to go on and be grateful!

calm and bright

Every year the Christmas season feels more and more chaotic and commercialized. And when we're fighting hard against the consumerism and the crazy of it all, we can miss the sweet, peaceful moments.

Like sipping cider, listening to your favorite Christmas tunes, and enjoying the tree lights in the comfort of your own living room.

Or maybe the candle light service on Christmas Eve.

Baking something tasty for your neighbors who had a tough year.

Hosting friends and family for a meal around your table.

The calm and bright moments.

If your Advent season has been harried, take a breath today and enjoy some calm and bright moments with your cherished family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

wait for it

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in the world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

About four years ago, my brother and his wife were coming home to Athens for Christmas for the first time as a married couple. It seemed that they'd never make it out of the Ft. Lauderdale airport.

Despite an early arrival to the airport, a surprisingly expedited trip through the security line, and boarding at exactly the right time, two hours passed, they deplaned, and waited (im)patiently for “further information” from the airline.

They, like so many other holiday travelers, had packed up for ten days, managed to squeeze gifts for friends and family into their luggage, and longed for nothing more than to board the plan and get home.

And so, they (and we) waited.

Oh, the test of waiting! There are seasons in my life where the wait seems unbearable, or at best, annoying. I have worked, prepared, done everything in my power to do, only to be told, "Not yet."

Admittedly, those are pretty self-centered times for me, as I find myself demanding of when God will give me the answer I’m listening for, or the results that seem most agreeable to my plans.

Why isn’t this going the way I thought?  And when, for the love of all that’s good, will this fall into place?

And well, sometimes, the great Creator and Planner of our universe chooses to make us hold out just a little – or a lot – longer. He has more refining to do.

And so, we wait.

For believers, our life here on earth is, in many ways, quite the holding pattern. Naturally, we long for circumstances, opportunities, people, possessions, and answers. But I wonder if those temporal longings are sad, empty substitutes for our deepest, sincerest desire: a safe landing in our eternal home.

And so, we are waiting.

We are waiting to be without pain and sorrow, and dreaming of reunions with loved ones. We are waiting for our perfect bodies. A day where we spend our days in constant communion with our Savior. We await that place, where someone has spent what seems like forever preparing a place for us.

We are longing for ... wait for it ... Home.

let's make a holiday dessert of sugar explosion

Shall we?

You should prepare this for a holiday party as soon as possible. It's just that good.

Christmas Trifle
Serves 8-10

1 box red velvet cake mix, plus ingredients needed to prepare (probably eggs and vegetable oil)
1 box cheesecake flavored Jello pudding mix, plus ingredients needed to prepare (probably milk)
1 8-oz. container Cool Whip
1-1 1/2 packages Oreos

preparation:
For best results, assemble the trifle the day before you serve it, so if you have the time and foresight, I recommend these steps a couple of days in advance. It makes assembly super-easy and quick.

Prepare red velvet cake and pudding, each according to package directions. Let cake cool completely and cut into 1" cubes. Chill pudding in refrigerator. Place Oreos in a large Ziplock bag, seal, and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet.

assembly:
I assembled mine in a traditional glass trifle dish, but a large glass bowl would also be pretty.

Fold Cool Whip into the chilled pudding. Layer half of the red velvet cake cubes in the bottom of the dish, followed by half of the pudding mixture, and half of the Oreos. Repeat the layers, cover, and store in refrigerator overnight.

serving:

It really does look this pretty:



But when you dish it up, it's a hot, delicious mess. There's just no graceful way to do it.



Eat this among friends and family who don't judge, though, and I promise, you'll be a holiday dessert hero.

friday (christmas) lagniappe

Christmas is so close I can taste it! How about some Friday lagniappe to kick off the holiday break?

behold the lamb of God

On my first week in December in which I had no football game to attend, I went to this concert:

Andrew Peterson is so brilliant for having created this musical celebration of the whole story -- the big picture -- of Jesus. I'm so glad it's become a bit of a Christmas tradition in my world.

If they're ever in your neighborhood in December, pay them a visit. You won't regret it.

office festivity

We don't have a fancy office party, but we do sometimes require festive head gear on the last day of work.

We wore these gems during our holiday brunch and a tame game of Dirty Santa. (I'm over Dirty Santa, by the way. Is there no more creative Christmas game to play amongst friends? If you know one, please share.)

biscuit goodness

Speaking of our holiday brunch, the spread included some biscuits from The Alabama Biscuit Company, a cute shop that recently opened up near our office.

Local people, check them out. The ham and cheese biscuits are yumm-o.

bon voyage

Tonight my small group gathered for dinner and laughs to celebrate one that is stepping into a new adventure, and leaving our nest. We reminisced about travels, and troubles, and lessons learned, and goofiness. We prayed over her, and toasted her.

I sure will miss these gals all gathering around my dinner table regularly, but we wish this one bon voyage with much love and great expectations for her future.



Happy Friday-before-Christmas, people. May your weekends be spent as far away from malls as possible!

thankful thursday #161

In my office, I like to view a calendar that shows at least four months at one time. Usually it means ripping off four pages of a yearly calendar and sticking them up on my bulletin board.

It's a pretty low-class operation.

This week, in cleaning up my office and preparing for the holidays, I decided to step up my game and do something special for 2014, and now I'm ready to face the new year in style (literally):

(Of course I didn't design those. Please. It's what Etsy is for.)

I'm so grateful for creative people who are so darn genius, they sell instant printable downloads like these.

It makes the lives of the not-so-creative population, of which I'm a member, so much more festive.

Have you tapped into any favorite Etsy creations or design services? If you have, go and be grateful!

people that ooze

Little Man's Christmas program at school was yesterday.

He looks dapper, no? And ready for an audience?

Of course, his mom and dad watched (who am I kidding, they filmed) from the pews, and if any of his other family lived close by, we'd have been there too. In particular, both his granddads would certainly have been there wearing equally dashing sweater vests, I just know it.

Fortunately for Little Man, he has some surrogate grandparents who live across the street, and they were so sweet to support him at his program, just as if he was their own grandchild.

I was so pleased to know that, not because grandparents are replaceable -- they're not -- but because he's learning young that sometimes, people who aren't your blood can love you good and hard.

When I lived in Starkville, my surrogate grandparents were Mr. Bobby and Miss Judy. They swept me up as their own in very nearly the same moment that I met them that first time. They were warm and welcoming, good-natured and light-hearted.

Goodness, they were sharers. They shared stories, their home, their family, their holidays, and everything that mattered to them. They withheld no secrets; everything they'd experienced over 70 years was fair game. They celebrated happy days, relived their favorite memories, and mourned the heartaches.

I learned about their own love at first sight, and how they took a risk on each other. I learned about how an abusive childhood can be redeemed with some faith, determination and a good man's leadership of a lady. I learned that after a couple buries an infant, hope finds its way back into their hearts if they're open to it. I learned that physical ailments that haunt a person her whole life don't have to define her.

It was like this fruit of the Spirit inside of them was oozing out all the time onto the people around them, and I just got to lap it up.

Miss Judy met Jesus a few years ago, and I am so touched every time I talk to Mr. Bobby, because he honors her memory so well. He talks about her, tells her stories for her, and even though he'd rather her still be beside him, he just keeps on loving her and everyone else he knows.

I loved Mr. Bobby and Miss Judy. I still do. And I hope one day, Little Man can say the same thing about the people who let their love ooze out onto him.

a festive $12 salad

In the days this week sans wallet, my friends spotted me some cash. You know, so I could eat. Generous friends, I have.

Also during those days, I was invited to a dinner party to which I was to bring a salad. I was grateful to have that cash, but it had to stretch. I needed a salad that was festive, but one for which I had most of the ingredients at home.

This salad fit the bill and received rave reviews. I spent about $12 and 15 minutes to prepare it. Win!

Red & Green Holiday Salad
Serves 6-8

1-2 c. pecan halves or walnuts
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 container of mixed greens (or spinach or arugula)
1 package of dried cranberries
1 container of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 bottle of poppy seed dressing (I used Brianna's)

1. In a nonstick skillet, heat nuts over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously so they begin to soften and smell delicious. Add sugar, continuing to stir while the sugar melts and coats the nuts. This should only take 5-7 minutes.*


2. Spread candied nuts on a piece of wax paper to cool, breaking up the pieces so nuts are not in clusters.


3. To assemble the salad, layer greens, cranberries, Gorgonzola and nuts. Toss with dressing just before serving.

* Alternatively, in place of white granulated sugar, you can melt 4 Tbsp. of butter and 4 Tbsp. of brown sugar in the skillet with the heated nuts. The nuts are equally delicious, but less crunchy. Pick your favorite.

'Tis the season for holiday parties. Bon appetite!

thankful thursday #160

On my drive back from a work trip this week, I stopped at an obscure exit for gas and a restroom break.

I do this all the time. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this stop.

On the five hour trip home, I chatted on the phone to various people to pass the time. I do this all the time, too.

I arrived home way past my bedtime, climbed straight into bed, and slept like a rock. (Also very common.)

At the office the next morning, I reached for my wallet so I could file my receipts, because those expense reports, I do those regularly.

Except my wallet. My wallet was not where it always is.

And that's when I got that terrible pit in my stomach, because something wasn't where it should be.

Because my wallet. My wallet was in the obscure gas station. At least, the last time I remember having it, it was.

I called that obscure gas station, and do you know, that manager had my wallet? With all $6 cash, my debit card, and my company credit card?

It arrived on a very welcomed FedEx truck this morning, and if that's not a Christmas miracle for which to be thankful, I don't know what is.

Thank you, honest person who found and turned in my wallet with all its contents. There aren't enough people like you walking this earth.

Has your Christmas miracle shown its face yet? Go on, be grateful!

a snow, some work crafting, and a row of tubas

I'm fresh off of my annual trip to Indianapolis. It's a given that I'm happy to be home and sleeping in my own bed (Courtyard Marriott, your beds are surprisingly terrible).

But there were some fun moments to share!

You know I love a good snow, and I rarely get one. But Indianapolis delivered, and delivered big.

These beauts and I went to dinner ...

... and when we were happy and full, came out of the restaurant to see this.

Two of us couldn't help but to walk the mile back to the hotel in the snow.

We were adamant about snow photo ops!

I really couldn't swipe the smile off my face. It was so fun.

The next morning this scene caught my eye, with the pretty church, and the snow still capping the tree branches.

Of course we worked some, too! We created these memorabilia cases for each Big Ten team:

And in so doing, we learned that duct tape wads and foam board go a very long way behind the scenes to make a craft look great.

We are nothing if not resourceful.

For good measure, here's a snap of Ohio State's marching band (I mean, The Ohio State University, of course).

The tubas make such a visual statement, don't they? I wondered which one of them was going to dot the i at the game.

Good friends, good work, good snow, good fun.

I'm so pleased that the good outweighed the terrible beds bad.

thankful thursday #159, another post-indy edition

I could just say "ditto" to this Thankful Thursday post and be done with today's late Thankful Thursday, because let's be honest, my life often feels like it's on a repeat cycle. Just a-spinnin', with nothing new under the sun:

I was in Indianapolis for the past week, just like the two years prior. I am grateful football season has come to a close, just like the last twelve years. And I am more than pleased to reclaim my weekends, just like every other year around this time.

But that would be a cop-out.

There are lots of other little nuggets for which I was grateful this week, and they are worthy of some love.

For one, the night before I left, I sang in an Advent concert with Colla Voce. We did not sing last year, so it was nice to kick off my December again with music that tells the story of anticipation that we miss sometimes in the Christmas chaos. I was grateful for those pieces, and for how the voices blended to make something lovely.

At that concert, I was honored to see several familiar faces in the audience, those of old and new friends. Since my family is not local, I'm so thankful to feel support and love from these people. They are such a blessing to me.

It is good to be home, and to pause in gratitude.

What about you? Have you slowed down yet to say a word of thanks? Go on, be grateful!