What a Year!

Fun Facebook app of my year in pictures.  It was a year full of heart ache but also a LOT of fun!  Starting in the upper left hand corner

1. Rachelle Kirkindoll and I at the New Kids on the Block concert.  AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
2. Girls Night Christmas party - dancing the night away
3. Family hike with The Plant
4. Paul and I at Pismo Beach for a Marriage Retreat
5. Paul and I's New Year's kiss, ringing in 2010
6. Getting crafty and making a new purse
7. Anna is such an amazing friend!  So blessed to have her in my life
8. 10 Year Coffee Talk Reunion at Pismo Beach.  All my best friends from college.  Amazing group of women!
9. Paul and friend Jeremiah showing off their muscles at Pismo
10. Holly Graham celebrating Vanessa's 30th birthday!
11. Alanna and I at Sophia's 3rd birthday.  She is too cute!!
12. Bella!  We got a dog this year
13. Vanessa's 30th Birthday!
14. Wine tasting with my mom for a girls weekend in Sonoma
15. My kiddos, Luke and Alanna.  They are cuddle bugs
16. Mom and I at the Vineyard. 

Christmas Confession

From Whittaker Woman's Blog posted this and I thought it was fun. She did not tag me...truth be told if she did I probably would not do it, there's a little rebellious confession of mine. :) But I thought it was fun. Lets do it together! 

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper!!  It's too much fun watching kids rip open presents on Christmas morning.  So anti-climatic to open a bag.  And don't be gentle with it!  Go for it rip it up!  I'm not going to save it to use it later or line my drawers with it (sorry Grandma!)

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, although nothing beats the smell of a real one!  We switched to artificial because of Luke's allergies and asthma.  Yet another reason to pray for his healing!!

3. When do you put up the tree? Weekend after Thanksgiving.  I need a little recovery time before we start the next project after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? New Years Day.  It's the official closing of the holiday season for the Eveland family.
5. Do you like eggnog? blehk... no!  Paul loves it and so it's always in our fridge during Christmas.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I was in 7th grade and wanted a suede bombers jacket so badly and screamed when I opened that up.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Paul - so easy, video games.  Done and done.  It makes me a little sad because I don't feel creative about the gift and doesn't take any thought but I know it's what he really happy with.

9. Do You have a nativity scene? yes, a tin punch-out one from Mexico my Aunt Jenny gave it to my mom and my mom gave it to me.  I love it.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail although now we send out so many I do the picture cards and don't write notes.  Every year I feel a little guilty about it. 
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? my mother-in-law gave me a XXL t-shirt with a picture of a duck on it wrapped in tape and it said "duck tape".  Paul sitting next to me opened a card with $200 cash.  I try not to get caught-up in gifts and compare but that was awful.  I didn't know what was worse - that she thought I wore a XXL or the ugliness of the shirt itself.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas for the classic movie and Christmas Vacation for the contemporary movie.  That movie is so dang funny! 
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December.  I always have intentions of starting much earlier in the year but it never happens 

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? yes!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? my family use to have lots of traditions with food at Christmas.  On Christmas Eve we would have a giant manicotti dinner and on Christmas morning we would have homemade cinnamon rolls and eggnog then quiche for breakfast.  After my sister died and my parents got divorced it all stopped.  I thought I would try it with my family but it made me sad.  Paul's family didn't really have any traditions to carry on.  So we have tried a few things to make our own traditions for our family.  So right now, no favorite foods for Christmas.

16. Lights on the tree? HUH? Who does not put lights on their tree? - Agree with Heather!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Church Christmas song - O Holy Night  "Fall on your knees, O hear the angels voices!" tears every time!  Secular Christmas Song "Love, Love, Love" by Dave Matthews Band. 

18. Travel for Christmas or stay home?  Depends on the year.  Sometimes we go up to Eureka, CA to visit my mom or we stay in Bakersfield, CA.  This year we are staying in Bakersfield and then going down to San Clemente to visit Paul's birth dad and extended family. 

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?  nope

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? a red star   

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.  My kids believe in Santa (gasp!).  I know their eternal salvation is at stake but they do!  On Christmas Eve they open one present from mom and dad and it's their Christmas PJ's

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? How busy everything is no time for family
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?  traditionalist - red, green and white
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? ???

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? a dog - but Paul said no.  

High School Memories

Today I got an message from an old friend from high school. I graduated in 1995. It was an email asking why I did what I did. I was big jerk to him and he wanted to know what happened. I can honestly say that he didn't do anything. He was (and I'm sure he still is) a great person and a friend to me during the hardest time in my life - when my sister died. I was just immature and didn't handle things very well back then. So here I am 15 years later trying to explain why at age 15 I wasn't a good friend and more than that was a total a-hole.

I'm really glad that he sent me the message. It's something I have always regretted and wanted to apologize for. I hope that we could be friends again but maybe too much time has passed. Who knows?

It got me to thinking about my life today. What email/message/or some advanced messaging system that hasn't been invented yet will I get in another 15 years? Who am I letting down today? What friendship am I letting slip away? There was one person that came to my mind right away and I'm going to call her tomorrow morning.

Away to Mexico

My friends and I liked to joke about running away to Mexico. You know those days - kids driving you nuts, husband being a jerk, can't stand another day of the ordinary. No more Albertson's or Chevy Tahoe's, mortgage payments, homework, car seats, dinners, laundry or dirty bathrooms! But there is always that thing inside of you that stops you from getting on the 5 Freeway and heading south. Then, you are reminded of the sweet kisses of your kiddos, cuddles on the couch watching cartoons on a Saturday morning, laughs shared over a family dinner, your husband's tender touch on the small of your back. All the things that bring so much joy come to mind the second after you contimplate running away from everything.

But then it happens. One of my closest friends ran away to Mexico. Not literaly, she isn't in Cabo but she chucked it all for the dream of a different life. I have to believe that someday soon (if not already) life in Mexico isn't looking a great as she thought it would be. The things that bring joy lost their luster. I guess they no longer came to mind after the thought of hitting the road. Or maybe they did but the dream of a new life become brighter.

One thing that I have learned is that if you think it can't happen to you then you might be in greatest danger of doing it. You take things for granted (cliche but true!). The everyday is no longer special because it's expected and becomes boring. Life in Mexico begins to look more and more exciting. (I think I have beat this annalogy into the ground)

I'm not going to joke about going to Mexico anymore.

Amazing Ladies

Everyday, I get the privilege of working with some amazing women. I'm so thankful that the Lord has put me in this position to surround me with these lovely ladies! Working here has given me life long friendships with them and others that no longer work here (that means you Mandi).

Camping

Our annual camping trip to Wishon with all our best friends and family.

Alanna loves s'mores!

Throwing rocks

Sleep boy

Salem - the master fire starter

Going Camping

I leave tomorrow morning to go camping for a week. No cell service, no computer, no technology. Just tents, campfires, redvines, smores, coffee, family, naps - it should be good.

I was tagged!

These are the rules: You must post the rules before you give your answers. You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you've been tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details.

L - loveable

E - enthusiastic

E - encouraging

That was easy - I wish I had a better middle name so I could be more creative! Let's see, I tag Mama Sue (she is so funny and creative, her list will be amazing!) and Sarah (can't wait to see what she says) and Krista (just because she is one of the most special people on planet earth and I alway like to hear/read what she says)

Ode to Mandi

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to spend some great coffee time with my friend Mandi. She is genuine, honest and fun. I'm honored to counted as her friend.

Stacia (also an amazing woman), Mandi and I (Luke in my tummy) Easter 2006