Filtering Life

So I know it has already been played out…but I thought it was a fitting entry given the amount of good and bad things 2005 held in our lives. Our Christmas vacation was really good but I find I do anything but “rest” when a vacation falls on a holiday. We housed my brother-in-law for 8 days which is a long time. I love him to death and he is a great house guest…but there is nothing better than lounging around your apartment in the free-est, least clothed state possible…especially if you are a newly wed…but alas, that was not the case. It was wonderful to finally not make that horrible trip to Syracuse. I love having my parents only 2 hours away. I was in a wedding on New Years Eve which was a TOTAL BLAST…but we didn’t go to bed until 2:30am and I did not get up until 11:30 yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, my body clock is seriously screwed up. I made Ryan stay up until midnight playing War and Fish in bed until I was ready to fall asleep. He didn’t have to work so don’t think I am totally horrible. He is so sweet! So here I am back at school feeling like I never left. The kids have been good so far, but my rowdiest classes are left. There are a ton of kids absent so hopefully my load will be light.
Without further ado….
Here are my picks and opinions for 2005

Best new couples:
Me and Ryan of course!
Nathan and Sarah Torrence…married on New Years
David and Heather Hammond
Jason and Crystal Hinds
Jeff and Christianna Boyer

Best bundle of joys/finding out they were pregnant:
Jamie and Paula Hemeon- baby Isabel due to the world on January 12th, 2006
Candace and Tim Grahl-baby boy due
Justin and Stacy Mullins- mystery sex baby
Anthony and Sarah Gammage-baby girl due
Matt and Gaylynn Pantana- baby Isabella Starr
Matt and Sherri Day- baby girl due
Brian and Kirsten Donohue- mystery sex baby
Mark and Stephanie Miear- baby boy due

Best flicks:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Best Books:
Harry Potter-V and VI
Celtic Prayers-Prayers of the Northumbria Church

Best place visited:
Dominican Republic
Cyprus
Turkey
NYC

Best people to have in your corner, even from a distance:
The Torries
The Hammonds
The Mullins
The Braggs

Best new family:
The Portnoy’s for me
The Hemeon’s for Ry

Best lesson learned:
Getting out of debt is a lot of work but worth the sacrifice!

Best roomie departure:
Kristie Earley my roomie of 12 months moving in the apartment across the hall!
Ryan and Dan part ways after most of their lives living under the same roof

Best moments:
Getting engaged: April 2nd
Saying “I Do”- August 7th (as if you didn’t know!)
Being in Cyprus singing with 40 + people from around the world praise songs to our Father in several languages…a slice of heaven
Leaving Lynchburg City Schools for the promise land of Campbell County

Saddest moment:
Saying goodbye to the Torries, Mullins and Heather Dobson in June….my heart still aches.

Biggest Regret:
Not reading more and journaling

Most interesting moments:
Switching day planners from year to year and flipping through the past year.
Changing roles with our families…leaving and cleaving…it is a huge change for all.

That’s all for now. Hope you are happy Holli and Heather….I finally blogged!

Yes (Heather) another snow day! This one is actually legite! It is quite icy and snowy outside and really cold. I had high hopes of working out with Candace today at the Y, but Tim preferred she not drive…Sooooo….not a bad alternative in the least, Joy and Kristie came over for some pancakes and coffee and over 3 hours of wonderful conversation. We were all looking raw and skanky with our morning breath, hodge-podge sleeping outfits, and au Natur-AL faces and hair. I think that is the best part of having good girlfriends, who cares what you look like….lets talk! I appreciate more and more, the older I get, how stable, mature, and rich my friendships become. “Good time friends” are a dime a dozen, but women who want to know your heart, listen and share the good and bad times of life….priceless! We laughed a lot and then we really talked about what the Lord is doing in the relationships around us from marriage, to dating, to families. We were quite the think tank! We managed to solve all the worlds problems without leaving the comfort of my living room.
Joy has also presented me with an amazing proposition that has to do with a deep love of mine…decorating! The women’s ministry is in the process of getting approval to get one room in the new church dedicated to art/crafts. They want to create a sense of beauty and femininity in the decor and Joy has asked myself and Steph to be the decorators. Already my mind is filling with color schemes, layouts, storage, furniture, amazing fabrics for pillows and curtains. Reality is this will be a long process of raising money and beautifying over time…but still…to be given creative domain is so affirming to me. I love color and creating beauty so much. It is my way to thank the Lord for not creating a black and white earth. Who is the most amazing artist in the world…GOD. It is my way of worshiping Christ through art. I have also been approached by the church to decorate the sanctuary and lobby….YIKES! I have never done anything like that…but I am psyched to give it a try.

Well I am letting my self-tanner dry right now (vanity, vanity….yahty, yahty, yah) and I need to get on with my day. Sorry Ryan that you had to get up yet again and go off to work while I banked another three hours of sleep in our bed…..I miss you!
Cheers to snowdays, cheers to coffee, and cheers to amazing friends. Thanks for an awesome morning Joy and Kristie!

Who needs a Brita when you have Charlotte?
Yup….we are becoming “those people”…the ones who take goofy pictures of their pets, post them and are actually amused by them. She is such a dumbass sometimes, we can’t help ourselves. I can honestly say in the 3 months we have had her we have only taken a handful of pictures of her. This one made me laugh as well as her growing fascination with the toilet.

She gets a little invasive when you are actually trying to use the toilet. I am waiting for the day she gets the nerve up to jump up and then we will have a whole new set of problems. So shake your heads in disapproval (DAN)…but we sure do get a kick out of her.