Laura Shaffer | The Heart of the Matter » 2009

Archive for January, 2009

17
January
2009

Random New Year’s Thoughts

I came home a couple weeks ago from being in Texas for 10 days.

A trip home to see the family is guaranteed to be packed full from start to finish! Parties, a wedding shower, church, visiting with friends and supporters, Christmas, a concert, more visiting with family and friends, shopping, taking the kids out, movie night with Kristin, long discussions, visits to the chiropractor, playing Settlers of Catan, a visit to the museum, a trip to Dallas and back, wedding plans, wedding shopping, more wedding plans, whew! . . . I confess that I felt like I needed a vacation after all of that! There is no place like home–I love you guys!

I didn’t have any New Year’s resolutions this year. I figured I’d better just do the things that I’ve already resolved to do and not set any more goals for myself right now. I did take some inventory of my life, though, and have a few things that I am aiming toward for this next year.

I have a question: who decided that the new year should start in the middle of winter? January is a pretty desolate month of the year and all one has to look forward to is more ice and snow and clouds and freezing cold weather. It seems to me that spring would be a much better time to celebrate a new year.

It was -17 degrees when I left for work yesterday morning. That’s 17 degrees BELOW zero with a negative 40 degree wind chill.

I’m learning some things about this kind of weather, like the inside of your nose freezes after one sniff in that temperature. I also found out that cars don’t like to start when they’ve sat in sub-zero temps all night. A cool thing is, you can take a cup of hot water, throw it into the air, and it freezes instantly into icy snow before hitting the ground! Ahhh, the things that we amuse ourselves with up here in the tundra.

We are getting a heat wave today: it will warm up to 22 degrees. Maybe I should go get my car washed.

Three things I’m thankful for this week: my new electric blanket, my new space heater, and my new hat/gloves/scarf. Thank you, Mom, Dad, and Josh!

Ratatouille is a cute movie, but is anyone else grossed out when the rats take over the kitchen? That is indescribably sick.

My neighbor boy goes to AWANA with me. Club was canceled this week due to weather, so he came down to my apartment and we spent some time working on his verses. He just learned the books of the Bible in order, and that kid is so excited that now he knows how to look up verses in his Bible! Watching his genuine enthusiasm reminds me that we must all come to Jesus as little children.

Saturdays are my favorite day of the week! I’m signing off now to go live it! Meanwhile, you can enjoy the pictures here and leave me a comment.

Kristin, Josh, Tim, Deborah, I at a great concert in Dallas.

Kristin and Josh at their Christmas shower, hosted by the Aaress and Brittany. Keeping with the Shaffer tradition, I got them a Christmas basket to hold all their Christmas cards.