What Have I Done All Year???

Well, I have an entire blog of posts that will remind me of exactly how I spent my 2010.

Here is where I was last New Years Eve

http://wwwsuddenlyisee.blogspot.com/2010/01/where-were-you.html

And even though it was only 365 days ago, it seems like both yesterday and years ago at the same time.

And this is the first time on this blog that Ive typed out the word "and" instead of using the "&" symbol.

Its legit. You can check. Because Im weird like that.

Train

"Brick by brick we can build it from the floor. If we hold onto eachother we'll be better than before."

~Train

We Are Trees

"He is jealous for me. Loves like a hurricane, I am the tree, bending beneath the weight of his wind & mercy."

~How He Loves

Holy Snow

Is anyone out there aware of the price of snow boots? I sure wasnt until I looked at some for my trip & I emphasize looked at because as soon as I saw the price I turned right around & headed back towards the clearance racks of active wear.

...because I am ever so active & need wear that will meet that lifestyle.

Im On A Plane

Depending on when you are reading this, I am either in air or freezing my boot-ay off in a way I never did before. Ha!

This year seemed to be the year of Twilight gifts.

I got this warm-blooded pack member from a rockin' Aussie girl I know ;)

Greetings & Farewell

I hope everyone, all five of you, had a fabulous Christmas. I took the day off from blogging. I think Mary would have liked the sentiment.

So tomorrow morning I am...wait for it...Im leaving on a jet plane...ladadedadada

Minnesota here I come! Whats on the agenda? Ice skating, sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing & a painting day...oh my! Im beyond excited for my vacation, all of my warmest clothes are packed & ready to go. I even bought wool "smartsocks", ha!

Thats all from me for a week or so. I am going to set up some posts to go on while Im away, Ill try my best to make them catching so as to hold you, my readers.

Have a great & safe New Years. In 2011 I will be blogging from my tumblr http://cantstop--wontstop.tumblr.com/

Dont forget: Love, Peace, Joy & Grace

Stefani

Oh yeah & thanks for reading me all year!

All About The Baby

If you dont know which baby I am referring to, shame. We can no longer be friends.

Some two thousand some-something years ago (im really not so good at math), a man & woman fell in love & decided to become betrothed. They were quite young but thats how folks rolled in those days. One day the angel Gabriel came to the woman, Mary, & told her that she would bear a child who would become the Messiah. There was no way for Mary to grasp this fully, but in the name of her God she did not deny the message.

Some time passed & it slowly became obvious to Mary that she was with child. This shocked & befuddled her fiance, Joseph, because they had never laid together. In fact, she was still a virgin. How then, could she possibly be pregnant? Understandably, there was much outrage surrounding the impending bundle & even Joseph seemed unsure of the situation for a time until he, too, was visited by an angel of God. The angel spoke to him & said,

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid...because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son & you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

With that, Joseph knew what was to be done. Who would be daft enough to ignore an angel of God?

Now, meanwhile, Caesar Augustus (powerful man) decided that a little thing called the census needed to become enforced & that all households were to register. Being the upstanding citizen he was, Joseph packed up a very prego Mary & they started the journey from their home in Nazareth to the city Bethlehem in order to register in the census. Im sure we all know (or can guess) what happens next....no?

The baby...is coming! But wait...there are no hospitals to dash to, no midwives to call. Joseph & Mary have traveled away from their community & to make matters a bit worse there is some talk going around about the two, given the "situation". Not many are welcoming of the traveling strangers & the only space they can find for Mary to deliver is in a manger.

So, on that night thousands of years ago, laying on straw in the cold of a manger,in the wrenching pain of labor & with noone but Joseph by her side, a young teenage girl gave birth to the savior of man.

And He was named Jesus.

While the mother fell in love with her newborn son, not far away in a field some Shepards were watching their flocks when an angel appeared. They were frightened by the sight.

"Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

"Glory to God in the highest & on Earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

In The Plans

T minus 3 days until I leave for Minnesota. I am told, Im told, that ice fishing is on the agenda.

Yep. Mmmhmm. Alrighty.

In all seriousness, I am going to be a good sport & go for it because when the heck else am I going to ice fish?

Probably right about the time that penguins flock to Northern California.

Sweetheart Message

"Kiss me Bella. Team EC (Edward Cullen) will fight for you in a risky battle against Jacob & the La Push tribe."

Isnt this what everyone does when handed a bag of Twilight sweethearts?

Thoughtful Monkey

Its exactly like I said, a monkey resting thoughtfully. Whatever did you think the title implied???

Remember That Time I Had A Blog?

Geez...I just cant seem to keep up with the every day postings anymore. Its a good thing its almost the end of my 365 project!

Can anyone guess where I was last night?

Im giving you a huge clue with the picture & half my readers were there as well so if you dont guess correctly...

:)

Boys

Mr.J at storytime on Thursday.

Oh boys...

Its Not Sunday

It couldnt be because I havent posted a real picture for the last two days, so it must still be Friday. Yes, of course it is.

I worked last night (Saturday) & all day today (Sunday). It was a rainy & cold day today & I knew I would need to kill a good two hours or so, so Mr.J & I made this paper chain craft while the baby took her nap today.

Why I Love Heat

Because it keeps you warm. The end. :)

Just When You Go Thinking You Have A Plan

You know, people are always telling you to not plan your life too much because when push comes to shove it really is God's plan, His perfect design for our lives that is played out. Not that He is an evil God but I can kind of picture, if He wanted to, God laughing at our plans because He knows so much more than us.

I believe all this, truly I do. I know that my life story is already written & while I have a very important & proactive role in my life it really isnt up to me.

All this being said, when a...mmm...lets call it a medium size passenger sedan, comes along & knocks you out of the path that you had been traveling on, what do you do next? Lets keep in mind, of course, that because we are human we were not just traveling but also semi-planning the future based on this pathway.

The point of this post is this & because it will be written here I can look back to this in years time when I am where I am going.

My plans are an ever-changing thing

I know God is working my life out & I do need to trust Him

This is just life circumstances, not the end of life (which wouldnt be bad in any case, going to see Jesus & all)...days keep changing & life keeps going. It could be a lot worse, it has been a lot worse. I need to try to find good sides to this new situation that I can embrace.

Its a pretty good thing no more than 5 people read my blog regularly, seeing as how this isnt very amusing or uplifting. Its just real. I dont like the idea of posting stuff from a mood where I am now because it reads like this. But its life & life isnt always funny lines & cute pictures of kids. Life is hard & sometimes it kind of sucks. Im going to try to stop crying for myself now & move on to moving on. I always tell the kids to "put on their big kid pants & deal with things"...so I suppose I should take my own advice.

Im Cold..

...because PG&E turned off my gas for no apparent reason, so Im without heat for three days.

I took my final & pulled a C, which would be good except I needed a B to get a C in the class...I didnt, so I dont. Whats next, I dont know, but I may be repeating the course next year with first year students which pushes back my completion of the program by an entire year...but lets not put any carts before any horses...

I just realized that its mid-month. I have issues with this time tracking thing. Yeah, bills are due. On it.

In serious need of up-knuck love tonight.

New Additions

I added a bit to my Twilight room.

I finally found something to do with all my little Twilight "stuff" that I didnt want to get rid of...shadowbox!

My signed photo from the Hillywood show. Love them.

Of course lets not forget the New Moon board game.

I realize the business of having a Twilight room is all a bit ridiculous, but at no other time in my life am I going to be able to do this & feel "right" with it, so Im doing it now...what the heck, right?!

Santa's Helper

Careless

Merry Christmas To Me

Dear Stefani,

You work your a** off all year for other people so much so that you barely allow time for your own life. After working 40-45 hours coupled with 10-12 hours of school weekly your brain finds it hard to form coherent sentences. That is why you need a gadget that does all the thinking for you...because its a smart gadget.

Enjoy your gift to yourself this year.

Affectionately yourself,

Stefani

PS- Heres hoping you make it through the next year with whats left of your sanity. If you ever feel like you are slipping too far, get yourself to the nearest rock show for some mosh dancing STAT.

Sick Kids Rock

I just love being amongst my people.

Love

Tiny Love has started (over the past month or two) exhibiting signs of seperation anxiety.

This includes:

*Clinging to me like a little lemur when :

*approached by other people anywhere (park, store, neighborhood)...this is hardcore too, I can take my arms out from around her & she'll cling, not budging

*I attempt to play with her older siblings...remember them?...N-O...she is not pleased by this in the least

*Crying...really its more of a uncontrolled bawling cry of disparity & hopelessness, for one or more (all) of the following situations:

*separation time at MyGym, which is a horrible & traumatizing experience...perhaps more so for me than her but whos keeping notes

*when I leave the room...like to walk to the kitchen or, imagine the meanness of me, to use the bathroom.

*when I put her down & she wants up

*when I put her down for a nap *insert knives into my heart here*
*when I leave at the end of the day...this is the worst & Id rather sit with her all night than leave her like that

My poor baby...I love my Tiny Love so much I cant stand to see her crying!

Bella

Shes taken to living indoors like a newborn takes to the frenzy.

Deck The Halls

The new ornament I purchased for my little 3 ft. tree this year. I love.

All Because Two People Fell In Love

Watching Troy last night got me in the tragic love story mood. So here ya' go. These are some gut-wrenching, tragic love stories. Simply hearing them reassures us that there is, indeed, such a thing as love.

Orpheus & Eurydice...I cant read this story without crying for them.

Victoria & Albert...their story made me so sad for some reason, even months later, it hurts my heart to think of them.

Paris & Helen...An empire was destroyed because of these two...can you get over that? But a line in the movie hit me, something to the effect of, "wars have been fought for power & land & greed. I suppose love is a much better thing to fight a war for."

R&J. Young love...tragic love. Shakespeare = Master

Sorry...but you know I just had to...

To Be Quoted Is The Highest Form Of Flattery

"Its too early in the day for killing princes."

Name that movie!

Did You Know...

...that William (the Prince) & Kate (his betrothed) have set their wedding date for just a day before my birthday? Perhaps I could get a call into the proper personel & have the event pushed just one more teensy day on the calendar. No? .......

Did You Know...

...that it is currently summer in Antarctica? Just in case you were planning on booking a trip to see the penguins.

The Life Of A Nanny, Its Never Dull

I know Ive always said I want 5 kids....lets just start with 1 & go from there!

Soapy

Darn new-fangled robot machine, telling me whats what & that Ive done something wrong. How on earth could it know that my ability to measure & dispense liquid soap is inadequate?

Perhaps the robot machine knows what its talking about after all.

What I Learned From This Years Thanksgiving Pictures

The outfit which I am wearing in the above picture makes me look pregnant. Which I most certainly am not. In the slightest. It would have to be the second immaculate conception, ya know??

I also know for a fact that I was sucking in my stomach here, which is considerably smaller these days than it has been in days past which only aids to my argument that it is, indeed, the outfit that is offending.

I cant remember whether this was pre- or post- meal so perhaps I am just bloated with my "thanks" feast.

....Now that Im thinking about it, Im sure that bowl of cheez-its I just inhaled kind of makes this post a moot point.

Letter To The Holder Of The Pay

Dear Mrs.Boss,

I know you like to put out bowls of candy for the holidays (every holiday) feeling that it adds festivity to the house. I understand this completely& my lack of will power & pestering sweet tooth appreciates this.

But for the love of vampires, my waist & lack of a gym membership makes me plead for you to stop doing this.

Sincerely your faithful blahdiblahblahblah,

Miss Stefani, the individual formerly known as Stefani

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, in a neighborhood far, but not so far, away, I used to be called "Our miracle worker" & "Our lifeline" & "The reason our family runs."

Now...Im called "Miss Stefani"

Oy

I should give myself some credit that I stayed on top of the daily posting for a good portion of the year. It hasnt been until very recently that I have come up with a lack of pictures & some skipped days here & there. I figure, its almost the end of the year, it was bound to happen.

I went in to work last night just about an hour before Tiny Love's bedtime. Mom had reported the day had been fine, that she was a happy baby & naps had been good. I bathed her & layed her down...

& the hysterics began. Not just whimpering, but "someone is cutting off my arm" screaming. I had to put Mr.J to bed also, so I did that, Tiny Love screaming the whole time. When I went back to "check" on her (though I knew why she was screaming) Mom was in there & she said I should calm her down a bit. Tiny Love stopped crying the moment she saw me coming towards her crib.....oy. Rip my heart out much?

As of late I am immersed up to my patellas in end of the year schoolwork, prepwork for my final presentation & work for my fieldwork class.

Notice, that I did not say immersed in work at fieldwork. The other day when I was there they had me clean out the refrigerator. I happily did it for them, eager to lend a hand where needed, but deep down whilst scrubbing away I could help but think, "ummm, this is not what Im here for, yo!"

Beyond school huge changes of growth are happening with me personally. I wont bore you with the soggy details of it all, but I will say that it is, once again, amazing to be reassured in God's plan for my life (even without knowing it) & to be able to go to Him exactly how I am without the pressure to change or hide anything from Him is crippling (in a good way).

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse dvd drops a week from yesterday (next Saturday). Who else cant contain their excitment?

I read this yesterday in a magazine & liked it a lot. I felt it was very relevant to my life. If I could print it out onto a T-shirt I would.

"Being happy with your life doesnt mean walking around all day with a smile plastered on your face. It means that at the end of the day you can sit down & have had moments of joy, peace, contentment & passion in your day."

Or something along those lines, I may have paraphrased a bit...my memory isnt quite what it used to be.

If Wishes Were Dollars

I wish I could say, "happy weekend!" but the sad fact is that I have to turn around and be back at work tomorrow. Really I havent had a true weekend since 2004. Such is my life.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go run on a treadmill for 5 hours to reverse the effects of yesterday.

Piece Of Pie