a very merry christmas sing-a-long

when i was little, we always had a crowd at our house on christmas night. after all the presents were unwrapped and the dishes were cleared it was time for the music to begin. we had stacks of song books, lots of singers, a piano, and some trumpets. it was a good time.

a few years ago we decided to start recreating this great tradition. i brushed up on my accordion skills, my cousin monte very wisely decided to marry a professional musician, and my uncle mick was put in charge of the percussion section. 

and here is my uncle and i in a piano duet...

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special delivery

if you’ve been checking your mailbox in anxious anticipation of my christmas card, i’m sorry to say you may be disappointed. i’m breaking tradition and blogging my card this year, so here it is for you to enjoy.

this season i’ve been especially mindful of the realities of life; people who are hurting in the midst of a time of celebration and joy. even though holidays are especially difficult for some, i think these hard times actually make the birth of our savior that much sweeter. the other day i heard a chris rice song on the radio and i haven’t been able to get the words out of my head:

tears are falling, hearts are breaking

how we need to hear from God

you've been promised, we've been waiting

welcome holy child

how great it is to be able to rejoice in that fact. that even in the midst of a life on earth that is often hard, our savior has come. he didn't come to make our lives perfect, but he does bring us hope. so welcome holy child...we're so thankful you came.

enjoy this celebration of the birth of our savior, and treasure the time you spend with your family. it's a blessing. merry christmas!

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an idealistic dreamer

remember those great conversations in college, where you would sit around for hours talking to these interesting and wonderful people you were lucky enough to call friends? the topics could be anything...life, love, theology, the future, changing the world, and of course brainstorming for the next great prank. time was never a factor. these convos could happen at any hour of the day and last an infinite amount of time [because conversations such as these were often much more important than going to class].

these days, these conversations are fewer and further between. at times it seems as though life [aka adulthood] has taken over. i came across this quote about growing up the other day;

"it's hard to determine whether we are settling for less or if we're coming to a healthy understand of our place. it's not that we don't still have the desire [to change the world], but maybe the world we have desired to conquer has changed or grown smaller."

for me it's really hard to tell the difference, at least for myself. when i look at the lives of my friends, i can see how they are still making an impact, even in the midst of the everyday tasks of working and/or raising a family. but it's harder for me to look at my own life objectively and decide if my desire not to settle for less is legit, or if i have unrealistic expectations of what life can/should look like.

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why i love my friend

it is kim's birthday today and she's three decades old. there are lots of things i love about her, here are thirty of them in random order.

i love kim because…

she is a great teacher
she loves the lazy river
she is really good at fake laughing
she is very passionate about the jayhawks
she screams a lot
she is an avid gambler
she gets very hyper about winter weather
she loves to help people
she is digging herself out of the hole
she is extremely generous
she smiles a lot
she experienced new life ranch with me
she loves Jesus
she listens to ‘gangsta’ music
she is really good at making new people feel welcome
she makes me laugh
she took me to las vegas
she is infatuated with chris brown
she likes to be spoiled
she likes to spoil other people
she knows what it’s like to lose a parent
she is really good at wii bowling
she is easily excitable
she is a good wedding date
she loves her students
she is really good at accessorizing
she makes life fun
she genuinely cares for people
she understands
she is there for me

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