This Is Kristin

My daily routines make me feel safe. Day in and day out I go, thinking mostly about my to do list and accomplishing things. I’m busy. Somehow my busyness makes me feel safe… then the busyness shrinks my world. Stupid things become important, unimportant things stress me out. I sacrifice meaningful moments for meaningless accomplishments.

This week I feel almost slapped out of my delusions, into reality, and into what is really important.

First, I found out that a lady I know, who has been battling cancer all year long, and had had her last round of chemo, surgeries and tests, got her results back that cancer is back in another part of her body. She has to go back onto chemo. Anyone would say that she is a joy and inspiration to be around, and that her hope is in the Lord. Her attitude is inspiring, that even when she’s feeling terrible, she still wants to hear what is going on in your life, and she still smiles.

Then an earthquake hits in Haiti, I see haunting images of deceased and injured people, read large numbers of death tolls, hear of stories of people here in America waiting, clinging to the hope that their loved one will be found in the rubble…. and it wakes me up, it shakes me, and it instantly changes my perspective.

These situations make me want to hug my family tighter, and my perfect ideals looser, because the reality is that I am not in control like I think I am. The reality is that the world is bigger than what I focus on day to day. The reality is that at any moment things can change. The reality is that there is an entire country in rubble right now, and a friend who is still battling cancer, but most importantly that there is our God who is still in control.

… The news reported that we’d have a couple inches snow fall… the school called and said that the next school day would be cancelled due to expected snow… Blue told me before bed that he was going to wear his pajamas backwards and he wanted to flush ice cubes down the toilet to make it snow….. we woke up the next morning to no snow….. but then the snow started to fall and we played outside in it off and on throughout the day. Then we had a second day of snow. It never accumulated to much, but it was beautiful to watch the snow fall, fun for the boys regardless of how much, and a nice extended Christmas break!

The boys got some Christmas money, and wanted to get some hermit crabs, because they’d never had enough to get the little aquarium and all the things that went with it. We got to the pet store, looked at the crabs and fish then walked around. Blue fell in love with the dwarf hamsters, and so did Aiden, so they changed their mind, and we ended up coming home with 2 dwarf hamsters. Aiden named his, “John Winston,” and Blue named his, “Princess.”

Growing up I had a couple of hamsters, “Teddy,” and “Nestle.” One day when I was cleaning Teddy’s cage, I put him in a drawer, not knowing that the drawer opened up into the wall. Teddy was lost on the inside of the wall, I could hear him scuttling around in there…. and then a few days later there was a bad smell…. Hopefully that doesn’t happen with John Winston and Princess!

My goals for 2010 are to get out to CA to see family and friends sometime this year, and to go on a road trip with Brody for our 10th anniversary. I want to pick blueberries in the spring, and explore rivers in the summer. I want to see the ocean again, and taste a fresh peach. I want to grow mentally, spiritually, emotionally, relationally and shrink physically. (not in height, but in the hips)

Ok, I want to hear some inspiring New Years Goals!!!! Let’s hear it!

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We had a very merry couple days of Christmas. We missed our family in CA and hope that we’ll celebrate with them next year!

The highlight is always watching my boys be excited, and have fun with the activities! Cooper was so funny to listen to this year. He wasn’t really into opening the presents as much as I thought he’d be. He loves the decorations, but he would just open a present and then sit down and play with it. The boys all wanted to play santa, and pass out the presents to people, so we were taking turns. Blue said, “I get to be Santa!” Aiden said, “I get to be an elf!” Cooper said, “I get to be a penguin!” Then later they were talking about whose turn would be next and Aiden says, “…but Cooper can’t be Santa cause he can’t read the names.” Cooper replied, “yes, I can be santa, watch ‘Ho Ho Ho‘”

Of course, we focused on the real reason for celebrating Christmas, as well, and we went around the table talking about “why” we celebrate Christmas. Aiden said, “cause we have a turkey?”

The boys had fun playing for days straight. I think there have been hours long hide and seek games going on, and Cooper also dressed up in a sheet saying, “I’m Mama Jesus!”

We’ve been having fun, and I am not looking forward to the pace picking up again!

Hope everyone has had some good times!

~ Our family cat, Mrs. Turner died sometime last night. She was a beloved part of our family for the past 8 years. She was old, and I am sure sick with something, and just layed down and died.

About 8 years ago, we found her on the side of the road when she was a new baby kitten, along with her 2 sister kittens, and 1 brother kitten. She was the one trying to protect her siblings, when we found her, swatting at us and hissing, and Brody said, “she is going to be a good cat,” and he was right. We thought she was a boy at first, (she was very fluffy) and named her “Turner,” later realizing she was a female, we changed her name to “Mrs. Turner.” We gave her sister “Hindu Fran,” to Brody’s sister, and “Lionel” to my mom. Her other sister “Sipsy” ran away.

Mrs. Turner was pregnant when I was pregnant with Blue, and she would lay on top of my stomach purring and Blue would kick at her! She had her fluff ball kittens before I had Blue, and he grew up to love her too. She put up with a lot from the boys…

She also moved with us and transitioned easily through each of our 6 moves. We nearly lost her in Kansas, while we were moving from CA to TN, and she rode in a cat carrier in the car across all those states…

She was the best cat I’ve ever had, and I am sad to say goodbye to her.

The temperatures have gotten so cold… It is freezing things!

…bird baths…

…bubble swords…

…dog bowl water…

Brrr!

I started to make some newspaper snowflakes, but ended up with these newspaper snow balls.

I have never tasted a more delicious mandarin, than the ones that I grew up on from Newcastle, CA. My sweet Mother in law sends me 3 lbs. of these each year since we’ve moved out here. They are such a wonderful winter treat….

and the peels smell good simmering with cinnamon too…