2012

"We're 30, we have iPhones, and it's the last Saturday of 2012." - My bff

It snowed in my town yesterday - a town in SoCal that doesn't get snow.  That kind of sums up my year: different and unexpected.

• I turned 30 and my Georgia bff flew out to surprise me at my 80s-themed bday party.
• I decided to have, then had, major abdominal surgery.
• I had my appendix out.
• I went back to school...something I swore I'd never do.
• I had a pain-free period for the first time in over a decade.
• I met 4 new nieces and nephews.  (They're awesome, btw.)
• I learned CSS, HTML, and JavaScript...something else I swore I'd never do.
• Two friends from long ago and far away (literally) came to Cali for a visit.
• Another friend from early college converted quite unexpectedly to Christianity.
• I had a gift of French wine and French cheese for the first time in 7 years. 
• I got a smart phone.  Yet another thing I swore I'd never do.
• I deleted facebook.
• The furthest I traveled was to NorCal.  Me not traveling in a whole year...that's a record!

And on top of all that I stayed home on New Year's Eve with a corn pack on my feet and a heated blanket.  You may stay up to ring in the new year if you want, but I'm an early-to-bed kinda girl myself. :)  Here's to a good 2013!

Something funny in the news:

"Pope Benedict XVI has also called on French bishops to oppose the bill and defend marriage as the 'foundation of social life.'” (source)

A celibate man who is the leader and head of thousands (millions? Who knows) of other celibate men and women, calls marriage the foundation of social life.  I find this funny...delightfully ironic.

We don't need Islamic extremist terrorists here in the U.S.

cause we're doing a fine job of shooting ourselves.

And I am so very, very sick of it.  Every time this happens I get sad.  This time I'm just pissed.  Stop already.

Endo Update

I have some exciting news (which most of you will hear if I ever get my Christmas letter out!): through the process of having my surgery I was able to connect to 2 girls with whom I am starting a non-profit to help other women pay for their Endo surgeries!  I'll keep you updated about it as things happen (and things ARE happening!!), but for now I wanted to let you know that one of the girls, Jo, hasn't had her surgery yet.  If you have a little extra money this year to give to charity, please consider giving to her Give Forward fundraiser:

http://www.giveforward.com/surgeryforendo 

Her Endo is much more advanced than mine was - she can't work at all and has a heating pad on her stomach and back 24 hours a day, all month long! Jo has been an enormously important part of our non-profit planning, even connecting us to an organization that may be able to give us our first grant . The sooner we can help her, the sooner she and I can start helping hundreds of other women.

Privatizing

Just a heads-up, in the near future I will be privatizing this blog while I job-hunt.  So if you're a friend and regular reader and all of a sudden you can't access my page it's not because I hate you, it's because I need to find a job. :)

Lynne Hybels

I think this is what it means to be part of the human family & part of the Kingdom of God. It means standing by the hospital bed of a loved one, weeping & praying and doing what you can to help. It means reading about a war-torn country, or refugees, or victims of human trafficking, or urban gang members, or the working poor, or the neglected elderly, or victims of racial discrimination, or whatever & whoever breaks your heart, and weeping and praying and doing what you can to help.

When the Frenchie flew in

he brought with him
French macaroons
and French cheese
and French wine.

And the American was well-pleased.

(Picture evidence to follow.)

Christmas is coming!

And so are the packages!  I totally buy into the season's commercialism, cause who doesn't like to give presents?  I did most of my shopping online and a few things have already arrived...

Can I just say it?  We so excited. 

(Artwork by Marcia Furman can be found here; books can be found here, and here.)