Catching Up

Well, I feel as if I've been away for a month, but it's only been a week or so.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Can you believe it's over already?  This high-speed-time-passage seems to be quickening every year.  I try and try to move out of the fast, passing lane but time keeps propelling me on.  It's one more reason to be deliberate about our lives and time, don't you think?

Before I head off on a high-speed-time-passage tangent, I'll get to my point(s)- a few things that have been bopping about in my brain and life this past week.

1) My Thanksgiving to Christmas Plan was semi-successful.  I held off baking cookies until the middle of the month.  I managed to exercise regularly (some video routines, mostly walking on the treadmill).  I was less than stellar with the "no eating after dinner" goal.  The snacking was generally healthy (oranges, pistachios) but still, I fell a bit short.  Often.  Do I regret devising the plan?  Goodness, no!  I'm an optimist through and through.  I'm most pleased with the fact that I've been exercising regularly again and am aiming to keep it up.

2) Instead of making New Year's resolutions, I tend to just set a couple goals for myself for the year. For the past few years (if not more) I've wanted to make scripture memorization a priority, but haven't.  None of my excuses are good ones- I've just been lazy and undisciplined about it.  Can you tell what's coming?  This year, I am committing to scripture memorization and I believe God has lead me to a strategy and a group of women who have the same goal.

A couple months ago, I discovered that Beth Moore has a blog.  Did you know that?!  Well, I was thrilled to find it.  A couple weeks ago, she started talking about a scripture memorization plan that she launched last year that she is doing again this year.  I devoured every word and am all revved up and ready to go.  You can read the post that got me hooked here and the most recent post with the guidelines here.  My goal is to memorize 24 verses (of my choice) in 2011.  Do you need a little boost too?  Join me!  It starts on Saturday (New Year's Day).  There is nothing to do before then but read the two posts I linked to above to get ready.

3) I wrote about the Odes Project a couple months ago.  Well, I was thrilled that Jamey gave me the The Odes Project Volume One CD for Christmas.  I cannot say enough about this.  I'm more of a hymn girl than a praise girl when it comes to worshiping through song, but the contemporary music that has been written to accompany these amazing texts is prayerful, tasteful and moving.  I am also not a raise-my-hands-in-the-air kind of girl, but let me tell you.  My hands have been freely reaching upward (as the hair stands up on outstretched arms) as I hear and sing along to these early Christian verses of praise.  I highly recommend Volume One.  Highly.  Highly, highly, highly.

4) We had a wonderful Christmas, dividing our time between both families.  Jamey and I took advantage of free {family} childcare and went out to dinner (Thai) and a movie (The Dawn Treader) to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary.  I go back and forth between feeling as if it was only a little while ago that we started dating to feeling as if we've been together forever.  Like any marriage, we've had plenty of ups and downs, but through it all we're committed and feel incredibly blessed to have found each other.  Have I ever told you that story?  Hmm...a future post maybe.

5) As we will soon enter a new year, I'd like to say how thankful I am for you.  I've been so fortunate to get to know some of you through emails and blogs and a couple of you (you know who you are) have blessed us recently and I want to say thank you.

You are my lifeline in the midst of a very home and child-centered existence.  I don't know what I'd do without you.  Well, I'd probably blog anyway but it wouldn't be nearly as fun.