Not Ready

I head back to school tomorrow.  And I am not ready.  At all.  And I don't just mean emotionally.  I am NOT ready.  As in I still have to finish lesson plans.  And pull winter books.  And print center activities to be laminated.  And finish getting things labeled for the new little pumpkin I am getting on Wednesday.  No.  I am not ready.  And I blame a fabulous Christmas break for that.

Our time in Florida was just plain fun.  Memories were made.  Too much coffee was consumed.  Laughter was the norm.  So were naps in the afternoon.  And, now we are back.  To mounds of laundry.  Dinner to be cooked (for the record I am two for two in the making of dinner ... which is officially a roll where I am concerned).  Suitcases to be unpacked.  

And lesson plans to be completed.  Which isn't going to be easy when I am channeling my inner Scarlett O'Hara ...

"I'll think about that tomorrow."  

Welcome 2012!

Well, here we are ... at the start of a new year.  A clean slate.  Full of promise.  Full of hope.  Full of resolutions.

Well, not so much.  Because this is the year I decided to NOT make a single resolution.  A resolution that I would keep for about 12 hours.  Sadly, I kid you not.

So, take joy in the fact that this will not be the year I promise you a picture a day only to make it to day 21.  And, I am aware that saying I actually made it to day 21 is a stretch.  In my head I can at least pretend I made it to day 21, can't I?

This also won't be the year I keep my closet clean.  Because where would be the fun in that?  I know how much you enjoy the three times a year I clean the closet, post amazing pictures, swear it will absolutely stay that way ... only to do it again in the next 4 months.

I will also not resolve to lose the weight of a kindergartner.  It could happen, but I am not going to promise it.

This will be the year Torrey turns 16.  And gets her driver's license.  Weirdly the getting of the driver's license will also be the day I enter the looney bin.  Who knew?

This will also be the year Dean and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  Wow.  We have lived a lot of life together.  Good and bad.  Easy and hard.  And I wouldn't have wanted to have lived it with anyone else.

We are trying to not eat out for the month of January.  It is day 1 and so far so good.  I got new pots for Christmas and am channeling my inner Ina Garten ... funny how the cooking shows don't show someone cleaning up the messy kitchen after!

I have spent much of 2011 reading and re-reading and re-reading One Thousand Gifts.  So amazingly good.  I have been trying to complain less and be grateful more.  I made that decision in the summer.  The summer where it was 110 degrees at 6:00 in the morning.  For something like 45 days in a row.  Just as a suggestion, always check the 10 day weather forecast before attempting to complain less.

Anywho ... this is my year to be intentional about seeing those things around me that God has given me and truly be thankful for those things.  It is my year to make my own list of one thousand gifts.  I pray that next New Year's Eve my list will be well over one thousand and will have turned into a habit where gratitude comes as easily as breathing.

Uno numero on my list?  Two of my favorite people who bring out the best in me, love me on my best days and love me even more on my worst days, laugh with me, cry with me and are my greatest blessings.  

Happy 2012 from the Townsends!

Making Memories and Mustachios

Today is Jen and Ryan's 17th anniversary.  Happy Anniversary!  Ben and Carly came to spend the night at my Mom and Dad's ... because for some reason they wanted to spend their anniversary alone.  Whatever.

 Movies were watched ... mostly be these three.  Or, make that four.  Zoey seems to think she is a person.  A little, furry person with an attitude.  I am not to blame.


But, enough about the dog ... while they were doing, um, nothing, I was making mustachios.  Because no Christmas would be complete without a mustachio or two or seventeen.

 I was going to buy glasses with noses and eyebrows, but at $5 each there was no way I was going to buy 16.  Which meant Plan B.  Homemade mustachios.  Start with black felt. I cut two at a time because I needed wanted them to line up perfectly.  I just traced my mustachio on a piece of wrapping paper ... partly because it was Christmas, but mostly because it was on the table in front of me.

 Cut out your mustachios ... see why using scraps of whatever paper you have is necessary?

 I used Aleenes's original tacky glue and applied liberally ... I figured the more the better.  Be sure to get the edges.

 Stick your dowel in the glue.  Some mustachio wearers said they would have preferred the dowel to be lower.  I liked it higher.  And, since I was the one making them, I won.

 I added some extra glue on top of the dowel.  Not sure if it was absolutely necessary, but I figured better safe than sorry.

 Then top with the other mustachio ... see why I needed wanted it to be perfect?  Now let dry.  I "built" all of the mustachios on wax paper ... this is not an option.  Otherwise your mustachio will stick to whatever it is left to dry on.

 And when you are finished you have a mustachio (on a stick) ... sure to bring fun family memories when worn with a spirit of joy.  

And, just in case you aren't feeling the mustachio, you could always wear it as a uni-brow.  

And, why the mustachios you ask?  Hang in there for a few more days ... it definitely was one fun family adventure!

Jumping Back In

And the blogger slacker of the year award goes to ... drumroll please ... ME!  It has been a bit too long since I last posted ... no excuses.  

Anywho ... where were we?  Yes, the blog ... we are spending our Christmas in Florida with my entire family.  It has been 5 years since the last time we were all together for anything ... too long, but that is what happens when you are literally spread out all over the country.  New Hampshire.  Florida.  Texas.  Utah.  Could we get any further apart?

We made it into town first.  We drove all night.  And by we, I mean Dean.  Those kind of driving shananigans were much easier when we were younger.  We may never recover!  Torrey was excited to meet up with her Florida cousins. She had researched and planned a fun outing ... a trip to an indoor trampoline park.

 After signing away our rights (ha!) and donning special gear (helmets and special shoes ... and new socks for Ben) the kids hit the trampolines.  They made it past the "trampoline police" with ease ... Jennifer and I laughed and laughed when he quizzed a group of teenage boys about "his" trampoline rules.  He took his job very seriously.

 Carly demonstrated her mad jumping skills.  There were also flips.  And dance moves.  And just general Carly-silliness.

 Ben enjoyed playing basketball.  Perhaps the NBA should try a season of trampoline basketball ... Ben seemed to be having a blast!

 Actually, all of the kids had a blast.  They jumped.  And jumped.  And jumped.

 And when they tired of jumping they tried out the tornado machine.  And then jumped some more.

 At the end of the hour, they were all jumped out, exhausted and big sweaty messes.

But, I think they would agree that their first cousin adventure was a blast.  I predict a family Christmas that is epic ... more to come!

Mary Did You Know?

Jennifer got married two days before Christmas 17 years ago.  It was a crazy time ... and I was an emotional wreck because not only was she getting married, but she was moving to Virginia.  Away from me.  Because evidently Ryan wanted her to live in the same zip code as him ... go figure.


Anyways, the wedding was in the evening.  At some point, my mom had Laurie and I in the kitchen cutting various things ... from olives (I kid you not) to fruit.  My mom had Christmas music playing ... or, rather, A Christmas song playing.  After about the 100th time through of "Mary Did You Know?" I asked her if we could try another song.  ANY other song.  She told me she HAD to learn the song.


Crickets.  Seriously, knives stopped in the air.  I looked at Laurie and whispered, "Is she singing at the wedding?"


Um, no.


We still laugh about that moment today ... and, proudly, I know every line to "Mary Did You Know?"  Please feel free to call if you are looking for a soloist for a Christmas wedding ... it won't be my first time to sing at a wedding.


I write that to remember it ... because let's face it, I'm getting old.  But, today I have been pondering Mary.


My Kinderfriends open one piece of the Nativity each day.  Today it was Mary.  I often wonder how much Mary knew or realized would be asked of that teeny baby she was carrying.  That tiny child she loved before she knew SHE would be THE one.


The girls her age waited and hoped they would be THE one.  Prayed they would be THE one.  And when Mary was chosen she did not refuse to be THE one. 


It was pointed out to me today that Mary would have been about Torrey's age.  15ish. That thought alone has caused me to have remind myself to breathe a few times.  It caused me to wonder about her parents when they heard the news.  We never hear about them.  Did they stand behind Mary and Joseph?  Or did they walk away? What about her friends and and the townspeople?  What exactly was the cost to Mary to be Jesus' mother?  Did she know when she said yes?


I'm sure she would say it was worth it all.


Someday, we will be able to ask, "Mary did you know?"  Until then, we ponder and wait. 

Well, Well, Well ...

Please go back and read that title with your hands on your hips ... because criminitly we have been gone for awhile.  (And, the first i in criminitly is long and the other two are short ... that will be my only reading lesson for the night.  I promise!)


And, yet, nothing has changed.  Well, almost.  


Volleyball is over.  We learned a lot this season ... it was a hard season, but it is during the "hard" that we grow the most.  And feel the most pain.


Torrey continues to do well in 10th grade.  It is still hard ... I'm thinking college will be a breeze for her!  Speaking of college, we are beginning to think and plan.  She goes on a Texas college tour in March.  A&M is mine and Dean's top pick ... I work with some sweet Aggies who are working their magic on her.  There is still time to decide ... thankfully!


My parents came for Thanksgiving.  We had a really great visit ... and it is going to be redone in a few weeks when we head to Florida for Christmas (WITH THE DOGS!)  We really have a lot to be thankful for.


We painted and had new carpet put down in the guest room and craft room.  Dean couldn't complain too loudly ... it is because of HIS dog that we had to tear out the carpet in the craft room to begin with.  And that is all I am going to say on the subject.  Dean did a fabulous job painting both rooms and the bathroom ... magnetic paint was even involved!  In the process we decided to get a new bed and are now making a headboard.  Does it ever end?


My class is beyond yummy.  I have some seriously smart kids.  (I am spending part of my weekend pre-reading chapter books to make sure they are appropriate for two of them ... they are in Kindergarten for crying out loud!)  One of my smartest was overheard saying to one of his friends, "You have no idea how smart I am."  Um, none of us do.  Whenever I am asking someone to please stop doing whatever he will invariably say, "I love you, Mrs. Townsend."  And it makes me smile because I know he is telling me that because he thinks I am being not so nice and he wants to get me off the ledge.  However, he did ask me the other day if I ever yelled ... and I thought in my head please don't ask my family, but that also made me smile because EVERYDAY for almost 9 years I have asked God to let my words be gentle and my spirit be sweet.  I cannot take credit for a kindly spoken word ... it is only because of Jesus.


We are mulling over some things right now ... mostly whether or not to put up a Christmas tree.  We are going to be gone.  Do I really want to deal with putting it up to enjoy it for a little bit only to have to come home and take it down while dealing with a mountain of laundry?  Go ahead and leave your vote ... all two of you who read this much neglected blog.


We are also mulling over Spring Break plans.  A certain someone is turning 16 that week and we are thinking about going somewhere fun.  We are also thinking about summer.  Torrey will be going on two mission trips and is anticipating them more than she is anticipating Christmas.  I love so much that she loves Jesus.


I was asked to join a book club today.  This isn't my first book club ... my friend and I made up our own a few summers ago and only let in people with kindles.  We called it The Kindle Book Club ... original, eh?  We mostly did it so we could meet without kids and drink coffee.  I downloaded my book tonight ... The Dovekeepers.  It takes place on Masada.  I'm hooked already. 


I am planning on making Christmas gifts ... probably should have started before now.  Tomorrow will be a marathon day of crafting.  I'm a little excited!


We went to the funeral for our friend, Stacy today.  It was a little surreal to leave Kindergarten, go to a funeral, and then go right back to littles who needed me to not be sad.  Unbeknownst to them they really did help me today.  The service was a lovely tribute to a remarkable man.  Completely God honoring ... but, I didn't expect anything less.


Sorry for the seemingly randomness of this post ... my brain has seriously been all over the place for the last few weeks.  Although, sometimes in the random you can really glimpse a person's heart ... even if it is just for a second.

Christmas This Year

A few days ago a friend posted on Facebook ...

"This year I am pondering what Christmas means to God."

Ya'll, I cannot get it out of my head.  


What did that night in Bethlehem mean to Him?  Was He surprised at the obedience of Mary and Joseph?  Did He sorrow at their long journey into Bethlehem knowing they would find no room?  Did He bless the innkeeper for having compassion in the offering of the stable?  Did He smile and rejoice at the amazement of the shepherds?  Was He pleased with how quickly they made it to the stable?  Did He sigh at the beauty of that night knowing it would lead to the ugly of the cross?


And, how long did He have to wait for us to remember that He had promised this night so long ago?  And that He told us EXACTLY how it would happen?  Do you think that caused Him to shake His head just a bit?


He gave His best willingly.  Because He knew.  He knew there was no other way except through the ugly of the cross.


We lost a friend Sunday night.  Quietly in his sleep, Stacy went Home.  Well, maybe not so quietly ... because I dare say all of Heaven rejoiced at his making it Home.  He bravely battled cancer ... never complaining.  Asking God for healing, but more than that, asking God to be glorified.  And, He was.  He truly was.


Christmas takes on a new meaning this year.  The lights on the tree cannot begin to compare to THE Light of Heaven.  The presence of our family and friends cannot begin to compare to His presence.  The greetings and well wishes we receive from those we love cannot begin to compare to the Good News He gave us so long ago.  The gifts cannot begin to compare to His ultimate gift.  A teeny, tiny baby ... born in a stable, but come to save the world.


God knew the necessity of the cross ... and only He could give it a beginning in a stable.


(This Christmas, as you see the lights on the trees and houses would you pray for Stacy's family?  He leaves behind a sweet wife and three children ... today was his oldest daughter's birthday.  I cannot begin to imagine the sorrow.)