traaaadition....TRADITION!

This year, as this is the first Christmas I am officially dating, I have been thinking about quirky family traditions, or Christmas traditions in general.
Jay's family always has a particular Christmas breakfast. In my family, we get pjs, and ornament for Christmas, as well as a toothbrush and an orange in our stockings. We aren't (still!) allowed out of our room (or my parents lock themselves in theirs) late on Christmas eve, as my parents set up all the gifts and stockings around the Christmas tree. For quite a few years, my sister and brother and I would all sleep in one room on Christmas Eve and watch one of the Star Wars (original trilogy only).

So anyways,
been learning about more Christmas traditions and thinking of some I really think are awesome

Like...the Christmas pickle, an ancient Teutonic? (German?) tradition in which a pickle ornament is hidden on the Christmas tree. The first kid to find one (on Christmas morning?)  gets a prize or an extra gift...or something. My aunt gave me a pickle ornament last year, might be fun to do someday.
My grandmother always had a bird on the tree cause it was supposed to bring good luck in the New Year, some cultures do this with spiders and spider webs!
I like it when people open pjs on Chrismas Eve too...but matching ones are a bit overboard...
As well, as, of course, reading the true Christmas story....


Anyways, those are my thoughts

Art.

I've been having a good morning, its been quiet. I've been up for nearly four hours and I'm still in my pj's. Toast, Krispie treats and coffee and reading and trying to get back into an inspired state.

There is an art show next month and I want to enter a piece.

But I dont know what to do.

Being an artist is a daunting thing.

I wish I was brave enough to be one.

Christmas wish list

Every year around this time my mom has me write a wish list.

This is what I would really want:

~a full time job that engages my brain and allows me to work with creative, caring, and inovative people (not that those at my current job aren't those things)

~enough income to pay my bills and go out to eat once or twice a week

~no student loans

~my car to magically regenerate brakes, cv boots, and an oil pan gasket

~clarity and vision about what to do next

Adventures since May....Catch up time

So...I suppose I need to get everything back up to speed. Here is goes.

May:

I gradjumated from App State, Magna Cum Laude, my family was in the country, my grandfather came from Toronto and it was a lot of fun!

I also started dating this amazing man:

June-July:

Long distance relationship (lots of skype)

I painted a bit:

July- today :

I moved in with this amazing friend:

And I got to paint my bedroom (whatever color i wanted)!

I have been working (at a job I dislike) and dating (a fellow I very much like (and not long distance)).

I have been looking for a new job.... and trying to get into a new rythm... and keeping an eye out for new adventures

Word

From my jounral, 1 June, 2008.

"Is it woundings that makes us stop taking risks? Am I becoming tame? Am I settling for second best?...

Dig in, hold on...or be offensive. I hold on to the ground that I have taken, stand firm, then worship like mad.

The time for standing firm will soon be over. It will soon be time to take ground, take risks, worship hard.

Woundings do make us seek saftey. It is prey that burrow, that hunker down. Civilians hide in bomb shelters, warriors wear armor and get out of the bomb shelter.

If Jesus' truth is contradictory to common knowledge, and it is, many times, we will not cover and hide our weak places, our wounds. These are our strengths. Out of our belly our most vunerable place flows the living water. Out of wounding, flows healing. "Battle" is when we stop just holding on, when we stop nursing things that simply need to be given up for redemption. "Battle" is when we stand up, and let go.

It is when, having done all to stand, we stand.

God will and has taken care of what are truly vunerable places...we just need to trust him to make our hurts into healings."

It is good.

Its 2 am on Saturday night....

...and this is what I'm up to.