My Grinch Moments

I love Christmas time.
I love putting up the nativity scenes (all four of them). I love hanging the stockings. I love sending out and putting up Christmas cards. I love decorating the Christmas tree and remembering when and where we got the ornaments.

The one thing I don't really care for is buying Christmas presents. I know a lot of people enjoy thinking about and hunting for what to get each individual, pondering how to make the gifts special, etc.

I don't enjoy those things.
They stress me out.

The only gift I enjoyed pondering about and hunting for this year was D's (which is unusual).

So, before Christmas I was feeling totally like a Grinch. I was begrudging the time and energy I was spending trying to get gifts for everyone (I wasn't feeling good anyway and obviously this holiday is all about me). I didn't care about the looks on their faces as they opened the gifts. I didn't care about giving gifts in the spirit of the Wise Men.

But, just like the Grinch, my heart grew! (It just took a little while...)

I realized tonight (yeah, four days after Christmas) that we are so blessed.

Despite my crankiness and Grinch-iness, family members loved me anyway. They reached into their hearts (and opened their homes) and truly embodied the spirit of Christmas. I feel the Christmas spirit more now than I did four days ago on Christmas day. Their gifts were beyond meaningful - truly what I needed (gifts of kindness, love, patience). My heart grew full of their love and made me realize how much I love them too. I wish I could re-do Christmas over again and embody the spirit of Christmas myself.

Instead, I'll try to carry it with me all year long instead and look for ways to reach into my heart and give what people need - kindness, love and patience (among other things). Because Christmas isn't about the stuff (which is what I spent all my time on this Christmas). It's about the feelings! Giving of yourself.
I will try to be more selfless and less of a Grinch.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

From my couch/bed to yours :)

(If anyone is curious, I rang in Christmas gripping the toilet. I also opened presents throwing up and while watching A Christmas Story. What a memorable Christmas!)

Jackson LaMar

Say hello to Jackson LaMar!
He's due June 2nd!
He's practically perfect in every way and we love him so much!

To Do

Things I Need to Get Done Before Monday at Noon:

• Oil change in the Corolla
• Clean out the Corolla
• Go visit the Medical Secretaries at Kaiser to file for State Disability
• Fax my disability stuff to Chase

Ok, so it's really not that much. And yet, I can't get myself to do any of it.

I think I'll go back to sleep.

Bed Rest Take 2

Welp, I'm back on bed rest after 1 rather unsuccessful day at work. This time through the end of December.

Being on bed rest has made Christmas shopping rather, uh, challenging. As in, it hasn't happened.

And, to make matters worse, we're celebrating the W family Christmas on Sunday. That's in 4 days.

Danger.

Anyone have any quick Christmas gift ideas that can be accomplished from a couch?

Bed Rest

What I've learned from two weeks on bed rest:

• Netflix is a fantastic invention.
• My couch is quite comfortable, even after days of laying on it.
• Days of being all alone drive me batty.
• The later it is at night, the battier I get.
• Nothing much happens outside my apartment ever.
• Reading in the bathtub is quite enjoyable. However, my water heater doesn't make enough hot water to keep a bath hot for very long. So it takes multiple fillings.
• Facebook and Pinterest get really boring after awhile.
• At the same time, Pinterest has given me lots of inspiration for decorating my next house.
  
• All Facebook games are the same.
• My puppy LOVES to snuggle.
• D is a really great caretaker.
• Showing takes a lot of work.
• So does putting on normal person clothes, doing hair, and putting on makeup.
• Pajamas are very comfortable.
• Sleeping is never overrated.

I go back to work tomorrow. We'll see how it goes! Wish me luck...

Serious Question Time

Pick One:

Elephant

Giraffe

Owl

(Perhaps this a poll for a specific reason. Like perhaps for a nursery. Hypothetically.)