An Anniversary, The 12 days of Christmas, An Engagement, and Lights on the Tree...Its begining to feel like Christmas to me!

12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords a Leaping
9 ladies dancing
8 maids a milking,

7 drummers drumming,

6 geese a layin',

5golden rings...

4 calling birds,

3 french hens,

2 turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree!

Let me begin by saying congratulations to my parents! Their 22nd anniversary was Friday! Celebrated with lunch at Cracker Barrel =D Happy (belated) Anniversary!!!

Every year our church does a Christmas program. Most churches do, but ours has a very interesting tradition. Its the church-wide motions of the 12 days of Christmas. One group gets up and acts out the Drummers Druming, one group acts out Pipers Piping, one group acts out Lords a Leaping.....so on and so on. My group this year did "AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE!" I just wanted some record to say that I think we were the loudest. =) Haha! It was alot of fun
I'm pretty sure this year's Christmas program will go down in history as being something special for sure! The worship leader for the Bartlett Campus propsed to his girlfriend at the very end! It was so super sweet! I am very very excited for them!

I came home, and my mom and brother were starting to put the lights on our tree. I haven't really felt like Christmas will be here before I know it, and seeing the tree being put up just reminded of how close we were to Christmas and how close we were to the end of the year. =)  

"...Jack Frost is nipping at your nose...." Literally.

Dear Memphis Weather,
It's just not a normal type of year without you doing something insanely weird. I wake up one morning and there's snow on the ground. Less than two weeks later, it's 70 degrees outside! Literally, 12 days before Christmas I was wearing flip-flops. Just when i was getting use to the wonderful warm weather I wake up the next day and its 30 degrees again! As I type this I'm wearing long sleeves, long pants, and wrapped in two separate blankets. BRR! Personally, I'm not a big fan of cold weather. So Memphis Weather, if you don't mind warming up just a smudge or hurrying Spring up a little that would be GREAT!
Sincerely,
Melissa

There's too much drama at school. Here's what I have to say about THAT!

Save your drama for your llama's mama in her bright pink pajamas because it's not something I can deal with.

Practice Portraits

New obsession? Posssssssibly! =) I'm absolutely in love with it, that's for sure!!!!

Change Happens

Things change.
Those two words are universally recognized. Maybe in different languages, but everyone can comprehend that things change. The trees drop their leaves in the fall, and more grow in the spring. People get older and die, but babies are born every day. The weather can be cold, the weather can be hot. Flowers bloom, grass grows. Things change.
Life will hand us heartache and loss, grief and sorrow, anger, and hurt that just never seems to go away. How is it easy to accept that? It's not easy in the middle of a storm to stand up, smile, and say that everything will be okay.
Life also hands us laughter and smiles, joy and happiness, energy and excitement. How easy is it then to jump up and tell the world how happy you are to be here?
Change happens. Sometimes we expect it, sometimes we don't. It can be a wonderful thing, or it can be something hard. I guess the only way to accept it is to just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Because one day you could wake up and realize your whole life has been spent worrying over things you can't control.

My fingers are very dangerous....

No. Not in the "road rage" way. ;-) This is one of those late night posts in which I talk alot. I'm warning you now that it's long. But I also think it's one of the better things I've written. It's 1 am. I probably repeated myself once or twice. I probably rambled. But maybe...just maybe...I made a point.
                                                     
Do you have any idea how easy it is to say "Did you see what she did?!?"
How easy it is to keep a record of 54 different things that have happened between you and someone else?
How easy it is to use that record, pull it out, and point out a person's every flaw?
How easy it is to stay angry at someone for something that is insanely ridiculous?

Unfortunately, it's very very easy.                                         

We hold grudges,
We place blame.
We find faults.                                                                          
We gossip and we talk.

BUT
Do we take the time to walk a mile in that person's shoes?
Do we take the time to think about how hard that person is working at his/her job?
Do we take the time to stop and ask them how they're really doing?
OR
Do we assume we know everything about that person?
Do we rush to conclusions and tell others they must not care anymore because of one or two mistakes?
Do we pretend they're living these perfect lives, and assume that their circumstances are?

It's fairly safe to say we do the "OR".
Our fingers can be the most dangerous part of the body.

Yes, we absolutely need them. Life would be extremely different without them. We use them to touch, feel, pick-up, carry, write, type, hold, drop, the list goes on and on! We also use them to point, and that's where it gets dangerous.

When you point your finger at another person, and start assuming you know things, stuff gets messed up. You begin to keep a record of how often you're able to point your finger, You begin to share with others how often you point your finger. It seems harmless at first. Then, you point more and more, until finally you don't even realize why your pointing anymore.

With our fingers we can build, fix, and make things better. But we can also destroy. Our friendships, our relationships, all of our time and energy that goes into those relationships. It can all be destroyed by pointing fingers.

Tonight I have to do something kind of hard. I know that I have done far more than my fair share of pointing fingers. I know that these grudges, and judgmental stares are causing problems in my life. I know this is becoming a serious problem, and I know I have to let go. I am a control-freak. I like being in control. I do not like handing my control over. And it's something very very difficult for me.

I know though, that I have to give it all away to God. I know I have to hand him my grudges, problems, and insecurities. I have to ask him for help. I have to ask him for guidance. I have to ask him for forgiveness. I have to turn the finger around to face myself and humble myself. Point out my own flaws. Point out that I am imperfect. Point out that no matter how hard I try, I can't accomplish anything without God's help.
                                                

I'm feeling Christmas-y

Let's recite the "Code of the elves," Shall we? Number one. "Treat every day like Christmas."
Number two. "There's room for everyone on the Nice list." And Number three.
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Now let's review the four major food groups of the elves. 1. Candy 2. Candy Canes 3. Candy Corn 4. And Syrup.
Did you HEAR that? I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm singing! I like to smile. Smiling is my favorite. I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel.....Does Somebody need a hug?

-Elf