Christmas Wishes . . .

Merry Christmas from our family to yours...

I wish everyday could be like Christmas

So, here we are, four days until Christmas...yikes! Is it really that close? I cannot believe that I don't have all the presents wrapped, I don't even have all my decorations put out for the season. Not that I want tons of snow, but a little dusting wouldn't hurt to get me back in to the swing of things. I just cannot feel Christmas when I'm walking around without a coat on outside...of course that could be why I have a cold....nah, just coincidence.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

- Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

So, with all my bah-humbug, grinchiness going on, God reminded me that Christmas is not the decorations, not the presents (wrapped or still sitting in a bag waiting for the wrapping paper), it's not a beautiful, white blanket of snow covering the ground, it's not the cute Christmas cards you receive in your mail box each day...it's about Him...Christmas is in his birth, his life, his death and his resurrection. The meaning of Christmas is life, his life, not ours. It's so easy to get caught up in other things that we need to take the time to remember. We need to take the time to read the Christmas story to our kids and reread it for ourselves. We need to take the time to enjoy and share Christ with our friends and family.

I received this in an e-mail the other day and wanted to share it:

An Encounter with Santa

What if you encounter Santa right in your very own living room and you saw that he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manor was gone. I asked him "What are you doing?"

He answered me very simply: "TEACH THE CHILDREN"

I was puzzled; What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.

As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the Children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle.
"Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven.'

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR
"Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise.''

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE
"Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree.
"Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag an ornament of himself.
"Teach the children that I, St. Nick, (Santa Claus) symbollize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF.
"Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. the red holly represents the blood shed by Him."

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said,
"Teach the children that God so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON..." Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL
"Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. the angels sang "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL.
"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. the bell symbolizes guidance and return."

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes.

He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD."



Now that I've rambled on and on, I better wrap things up...Have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy every second of it, because it will be gone before you know it.

I wish every day could be like Christmas

And if I could have one wish come true

I wish every day could be, full of peace and harmony

I wish every day could be like Christmas, I do…

from "I wish everyday could be like Christmas"

If you were a reindeer....

which of Santa's Reindeers are you?

I found this on someones site, thought it was quite cute.

As for me...

I am Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

POTC 3

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Coming to a theater near you

May 25, 2007

Let the countdown begin!

You don't even want to know how excited I am about this!

...I hated how the ending of the second one completely left you hanging!!!! I wanna see more!

Why is the rum always gone?

DON'T PUSH THE RED BUTTON!

Get more games like this at ArcadeZip!

I just had to borrow this when I saw it! It had me cracking up! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

live...LAUGH...love

Addicting Game!

Ran across this game....I can't stop playing!
My high so far...Score 7397 with 80 squares!

www.fetchfido.co.uk/games/squares-2/squares-2.htm

Last month we went to Springfield for an anniversary party for some really great friends of our, Kathy and Kyle. (Happy Anniversary! Love you both!)

While we were there, a good friend of mine, Ms. Kimberly Smoot (www.kimberlysmootphotography.com), took our family photo. This is the first family photo we've had done since December 2003! You'd think I could get them done a little more often than that, eh?

Welcome Autumn!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this time of year? I do, I do, I really, really do. The cool air...oh, wait. Yesterday it was 85 degrees outside! Isn't it October? But anyway, the cool air, the beautiful leaves, the gigantic moon that looks like it's so close you could reach up and touch it, there's just so much to love about Fall!

It's also a great time to catch a few pics of the girls...this one is for Uncle Kevin and Uncle Russ! Go Cards!

Cry Out To Jesus!

Last night's concert was amazing.

HyperStatic Union opened up with a few songs. I hadn't really heard them before, but they weren't bad. I really need to hear them on cd to make a decision on if I really like them or not. Either way, they gave everyone a quick lesson on how to properly enjoy the funk. (You have to bob your head from front to back, not back to front – in case you were wondering.)

As "Ring of Fire" played, the David Crowder Band made their way onto the stage. ....what a loon! He's totally crazy. I was afraid I wouldn't know any of their songs, but I actually had. It was only a matter of time before they broke out into a hoedown and the sounds of "I Saw the Light" everyone was stomping their feet and clapping along. They were great, definately got the whole crowd going.

After a short intermission, Third Day took to the stage in an unconventional way. Rather than the typical loud entrance, Mac and Mark treated everyone to an acoustic version of "Blessed Assurance". Definately set the worshipful mood for the evening...and that's what the night was all about - worshipping God...with a little help from Third Day of course!

As the backdrop fell mid song, the rest of the band was revealed as they helped finish out "Blessed Assurance" in true rocker form with guitars blazing.

The band continued with songs like, "Keep On Shinin’," "Show Me Your Glory," and "Come On Back To Me." To show everyone how much fun they could have during a concert, they experimented with a little 80’s rock, a groovy mirror ball and even some "couples skating."

Mac spoke a little about the song, "Cry Out to Jesus" explaining how He will meet you – wherever you are. As they went into the song, I know I had a few tears in my eyes. Hearing this song live made the lyrics that much more powerful, surrounded by people who have probably all been through similar events and been hurt. It’s something that everyone in the audience could relate to – everyone is going through something and no matter where we are – God will meet us there.

I have seen Third Day four times now (October 18, 1997 with All Star United and Switchfoot at the Madison; November 21, 2002 with Michael W. Smith and Max Lucado at the Civic Center; August of 2003 at Great America; and this concert) and I've never been disappointed. If you haven't seen them, I suggest you make sure to get tickets to the next concert! I know I'll be there!

Movies Galore!

Ok, so I've now typed up all of our movies to list online. Now everyone can see what we have in case they want to borrow something. For those interested, the list is in my links over in the left hand column...enjoy!

http://www.orangegeckodesigns.com/movies.htm

On a side note, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been missing for quite some time now...anyone have it? I cannot for the life of me remember who we lent it to. Hopefully this list will keep the dvds a bit more organized! :0)