christmas movies & a revelation

I made a top sports movie list a few months ago and have decided to list all of the Christmas movies I have watched and will watch this season . . . they just make my heart smile. I'm going to list them in viewing order, not necessarily from best to worst.

1. Charlie Brown Christmas - such a good message from a simple cartoon :)

2. Elf - had not seen this one for a while so I laughed like it was the first time I had seen it.

3. Four Christmases - we were not paying attention when we first started it and turned it off, on the second try we laughed a lot and enjoyed it . . . it's kind of what I go through at Christmas

4. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - love the message of this one too and I love all the one-liners!

5. Santa Claus The Movie - most people have never seen this, but it's a classic and I love it.

6. White Christmas - another classic, which everyone should watch!

7. A Very Brady Christmas - I don't get to watch this every year, but I absolutely love it. A great story of family and all the original Brady children.

8. The Holiday - one of the best chick flicks ever!

9. Love Actually - such great stories minus the affair

10. Christmas Vacation - who doesn't laugh watching this movie?

11. A Christmas Story - such a classic . . . can never be overplayed

That will probably be all the movies I get to watch. Watching all of them have reminded me that even though my family is frustrating and I sometimes get overlooked, I am so blessed to have so much family. There are so many people out there who want more than anything to be with family during the holidays and they do not have that luxury. No matter what happens I will do my best to try and not take my family for granted during the next week and the coming year. I love them very much and am so grateful for each and every relative.

dysfunction!

After church on Sunday, which was titled Ready or Not, focusing on how to really be ready for the message of Christmas . . . I was actually feeling ready. Then I got a phone call which reminded me of the wonderful dysfunctional family I get to go home to . . . TWICE!

My dad calls out of the blue so something is either wrong and he needs something. Luckily there was no tragedy, but he did inform me that our Christmas gathering is now on Christmas day instead of the 26th, which my grandma had indicated just two days prior. I had already planned out my day and was very much looking forward to it. Now because of my brother, which the world seems to revolve around because he has kids, but doesn't put in much effort to being around family, we are now getting together Christmas day. To top it all off, when I get to tell my mom this wonderful news she will probably make me feel bad about it even though I had nothing to do with it! Why is it that the single ones in the family are the last to know anything and just have to adjust to everyone else's schedule? This happens every year so I don't know why I continue to be surprised or upset about it, but it is so darn frustrating!!! Whenever this happens I throw in Christmas with the Kranks and envision myself on a tropical island with a hot guy and a tasty beverage by my side. :)

I do love my family, but I do long for the day when my husband and I get to make our own traditions and can really make Jesus the center of Christmas. I feel like that is lost and that's what makes me the most sad. I will hunker down and have a positive attitude and pray that God fills me with love to share with everyone despite the fact that I get to be thrown around from gathering to gathering. Oh, tis the season . . .

tv good-byes

So it's not a secret that I am a sap, but more often than not the things that get me the most are TV finales or good-byes. This morning was no different when Diane Sawyer had her last day on Good Morning America. Chris Cuomo, who I love, is also moving on. I had to watch at work and luckily it was slow so I get just sit there and enjoy all the recaps and memories they shared. I tried not to start balling in front of everyone, but the eyes did tear up. I absolutely love morning TV and feel like they are my friends, especially since I got to see them in person this summer.

I always tell people I grew up on TV and it's just something familiar and comfortable for me. The shows I watch just suck me right in, so when someone dies or moves on it's like they are leave me. Anytime I see the Cosby finale or the Friends finale, you will find a balling mess on the couch.

I know it's not the best hobby and I have gotten better at turning the TV off, but I'll always have those shows that get and connect with me. I'm sure the new people on GMA will do just fine, but it'll be sad to see the change.

how does the story end?

I know I shouldn't read Karen's blog before I write my own because she quoted the same song! :) Oh well . . . it's one that speaks right to my heart.

Back to the beginning . . . I have been running like a mad woman this week. Not for any race, but away from God. I got a very sad answer to a huge prayer of mine at the beginning of the week. I grieve for a short time and then just started running. I did not get into the word, did not pray that much, and just tried to avoid the feeling of my broken heart. Then at church this morning, I realized just how badly my heart hurts and how hard it was to sing praises to my God. Then I just got angry at myself because I was having trouble worshipping because God didn't give me what I want. Really? That's not what God is there for and not why we should praise him. He is an incredible God who deserves incredible praise . . . words I could not muster out of my mouth this morning.

So, needless to say I'm trying to figure out how I feel and muster up the courage to continue to have faith in God and his knowledge of how my story ends. It's like the pages in the book of my life are glued together, which is probably a good thing because I need to treasure this part of the story and not pass up the opportunity to foster relationships and spread the love of Jesus to others. Oh praise the Lord for his incredible mercy because I need it so much.

I guess I'm going to start praying for God to give me a new dream, which is really scary because my current dream did not come through. Here's to hoping that God will put something in my heart that I can pursue and have a new passion for. I know He's looking out for me and I love him for loving me.

P.S. The song I mentioned is by Francesca Battistelli who I get to see in concert on Tuesday. :)

who would've thought???

I tend to live with the belief that bad things won't happen to me. This was enforced when our friend who lives 4 blocks away had her house broken into. The thought never crossed my mind that it could happen to us . . . well it did! While I was on vacation and Karen was at her parents our house was broken into . . . ugh! They first tried to get in through my room, but were unsuccessful after ripping both screens. They then proceded to attempt through Karen's room and this time got in despite the locks we had on the windows. They stole a number of items, including our TV, Wii, iPods, camera, and jewelry among other miscellaneous items. After living through this week with our normal "stuff," I am realizing that all they really took was just stuff that we can live without. Don't get me wrong, we're going to buy new things soon, but the robbery was more about these people violating our home. To know that complete strangers were rummaging through our personal belongings just sickens me. I have been encouraged by the fact that our burglars were probably quite young and extremely stupid. They took my old jewelry that I never wear and left our TV remote. Needless to say I hope this never happens again, but I'm kind of looking forward to some good shopping to replace our things.