Wednesday January 3, 2007
I love new things from the simplicity of a new tablet to the smell of a new baby. New things are fresh, exciting, unspoiled, dreamy, hopeful. The flip of the calender page to January is enough to get me all excited — except that in the fun of the holidays I completely forgot to pick up any 07 calenders! My wish for this year is to live life more abundantly … to worry less about things that don’t really matter, to laugh more easily when something is funny, to joy and delight in the pleasures God gives us like warm sunshine, pink tulips, and hugs and kisses. Oh and my other wish is for pleasant breath. I always have trouble with halitosis no matter how often I brush my teeth when I get sick and I’ve been battling a whopper cold / sore throat / sinus infection for over a week. Yesterday I picked up Adam and he touched my closed lips with his finger and said, “it stinks in there.” Things must be getting really bad.
Christmas 06 was the best yet, I think. (I probably think that every year.) Christy and Zachary flew in the middle of December while Steve travelled on to Liberia. He joined us just days prior to Christmas. We made so many good memories baking Christmas cookies and candies, shopping, sewing window treatments for our new house, going to the coffee shop, holding babies, and eating too much good food. Christmas Eve we were in Ohio w/ Mom’s extended family, all 82 of us. This is the first I remember seeing my uncle Aden in probably close to ten years. Some of my cousins it’s been longer than that.
And now, we’re back to so-called normal life which for us revolves around a small property around 20 minutes from home and which is quickly beginning to feel like home even though it is so far from complete. I knew it would be a lot of work; but I never dreamed it would be so much fun to build your own house. I really should put a sign on the front door, “construction ahead expect delays” for my own benefit. We’d been hoping to be in by Christmas and we’re far from it. Now we’ve been saying March and even that is beginning to look a bit elusive. This is probably the most frustrating part of doing a lot of the work on your own and being your own general contractor. The nicest thing about doing it yourself is that you get to do it the way you want to –within financial limits– and to the quality standard you choose and saving a lot of money. I have been amazed at how David Lee can do so many different sorts of work and do them well. I love being married to a creative perfectionist!
Happy New Years to you all …. I’m off to get a few more painting supplies.
i sat here laughing hysterically to myself thinking about adam telling you “it stinks in there” =) out of the mouth of babes….what they don’t say……oh and i have wonderful memories of getting something new when i was a child. simple…yes…but new nevertheless…a few of my most vivid ones…are a new tablet..loved it…and new dolls! oh my did i love the smell and pleasure of a new doll. prolly why one of my weakness’s is to buy my little girls new dolls. they prolly have more dolls than the average little girl just because i have such a fondness still today for them! oh dear me.
happy painting! frieda and i should come down a day and help you! how fun that would be.