Write, write, write

There are probably 10 boxes of all things Christmas sitting next to the door waiting for me to carry them downstairs. From there, I will drag them into the bathroom, pull down the "hidden" ladder and push and pull them into the "attic" (which is actually a large crawl space we made when we lowered the ceiling in there). Who needs 12 foot ceilings in a bathroom when there are things to be stored? Maybe tomorrow, after Mike wakes up and gets off to work, I'll put them all away. And maybe I'll wait until Sunday when his days off start.

It's been quiet, sometimes too quiet, with Cherlyn, Rob, Bobby and Michael gone, but I've been fortunate enough to be able to iChat with them while they're in South Carolina. Before you know it, they'll be off this continent and starting life in their new home in England. I'm envious!

I always love the beginning of a new year. It's a time to wipe the slate clean and start anew. This is the year of learning to love the empty nest. Katie and Emma moved out in August and India followed in December. There are two extra bedrooms now that I get to fix up. That will probably also be on the list for tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow . . . it's nearly here so I need to get to bed. More tomorrow. I'd like to see if I can re-design this wonderful "vehicle of writing." I also want to go through The Shack some more and maybe write some about that. There's also more furniture to be rearranged. And I don't want to forget the books I've just read in the past month. Life is good.

Be Ye Joyful

The Shack

I started (and finished in a couple of days) this book a couple of weeks ago and picked it up again last night to read the last two-third's again. It is heavy. Very heavy. Mind-boggling heavy. And I LOVE it. Thanks, Dad, for recommending it. I will post my comments on it after I finish it again. I need to get some things on paper, I think, to grasp even more of its' wisdom.

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch

I just watched this lecture, having read the book last week. I happened to pick the book up last month but hadn't opened it until I was talking to a very dear friend who is dying from pancreatic cancer. Dave and his wife, Cheryl, encouraged me to read the book and told me that they'd bought copies for their kids. I highly recommend both the book and the lecture to everyone. There are a few books that I would classify as "life changing." This is one of them.

Cherlyn's & Bobby's Birthdays

What with the birth of Michael and then being up in Oregon for almost a week, I never had the chance to post anything about their birthdays. That will be my first priority tomorrow!

Michael Update

Just talked to Cherlyn via iChat (thank you, Apple). She looks great and so does Michael. She says he's also acting great. They saw the pediatrician a little yesterday (remember, it's, or just finished being, morning there) and he told them that the cultures were downstairs in the lab and that nothing was growing yet. No idea yet what happened and it could end up being that way. There are several theories including, bacterial infection, apnea episode, acid reflux, and I'm not sure what else. The pediatrician explained that infants aren't able to "compartmentalize" illnesses the way we are. That means that if we have a problem with our lungs, it pretty much keeps to the lungs. With infants, it goes everywhere because their immune systems aren't up to snuff yet. The fact that he's a couple of weeks early could also have an effect on his immune system. The very earliest they would be released would be their Sunday afternoon but not to be at all surprised if it's longer. Rob is spending time with Bobby and doing special things. He explained to him that Michael was sick so Mommy's taking care of him in the hospital. Cherlyn says they're all doing better. They just want to know what happened. Cherlyn was awestruck at how far away, and spread out, the prayers have come from and they are both so appreciative. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Here are a few photos from our chat.