Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Random Memories

My friend Ben had his last day at work on Friday. He and his wife are moving to Seattle, where he will start a new job. I will definitely miss him around the office - he's a great friend, and Seattle is lucky to have him.

Every once in a while, when I think about Ben leaving, I get some random memory that I forgot was buried way down deep. Like the fact that when I first started working with Ben, I lived with a girl who had a cat named Ben. And friend Ben doesn't like cats, so I would call him Ben the cat to bug him (the friend, not the cat). Random, yes?

Think of a close friend; now dig deep into your memory and pull out a random moment. Then savor it. The older you get, the fewer random memories you can pull out.

It's the Holiday Season...

My roommate once had a song on her playlist that was Andy Williams singing "It's the Holiday Season" (or some title like that). We loved to listen to it, and I'm not really sure why. It's not your typical college student music. But it always made us laugh.

I took French in college and my roommate once asked me to translate part of the song. Being the overachiever I am, I went to a translator online and typed in the words to the song. Partway through, I forgot the words, so I typed "do, do, do, do, do-do-do-do-do-do." The translator came back as "font, font, font, font, font-font-font-font-font" because it is one of the conjugations of the verb "to do."

My roomie and I laughed really hard and from that day forward, I think of her every time I hear the song. And for a portion of the song, I sing "font, font, font, font, font-font-font-font-font."

Ahhhh! Christmas memories.

Need New Knees?

Modern medicine baffles me. I'm really amazed at what they can do these days (no, I'm not 90). My dad has had bad knees his whole life. Recently, he's really struggled. They hurt all the time because the cartilage is gone. So essentially, bone is rubbing up against bone every time they move. Ouch.

Today, my dad went in for a double knee replacement. They gave him an epidural instead of general anesthesia, so he was awake the whole time. He'll be in the hospital until Saturday, then using a walker around the house for a while.

How in the world do doctors do that? Need new knees? Just call the office and schedule an appointment. Your stomach hurts? Burst appendix. We'll just snip that right out.

I know God has designed us specifically. All our parts work together and for a reason. But I think he also gave doctors gifts to make people better. Give them better lives; even save their lives.

So thanks. To all you doctors, nurses, researchers, and even drug companies. Thanks for using your gifts to heal the bodies of others.

P.S. Maybe more on this later.

I Hate Snow

I've decided to spare you all my little rant about snow and ice in Michigan and instead post a Christmas survey in hopes of lightening my mood.

So here goes:
1. Hot chocolate or apple cider? Hot Chocolate
2. Turkey or Ham? Turkey.
3. Do you get a fake or real, cut-it-yourself Christmas tree? Last year I had my first tree at my own home and I cut it down myself. This year, my husband wants a fake tree. Gasp!
4. Decorations on the outside of your house? I might put some lights out on our porch.
5. Snowball fights or sledding? Sledding.
6. Do you like hanging around the fireplace because it's warm? Yes! I don't have one, but our church's youth building does, so we have fires on Sunday nights. Yum.
7. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping? Yes, but I hate crowds. So I try to avoid shopping near the holidays.
8. Favorite Christmas song? All I Want for Christmas is You (upbeat) or Silent Night (slow) or Joy to the World (hymn style)
9. How do you feel about Christmas movies? I LOVE White Christmas, but I HATE The Christmas Story
10. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music? You may listen to Christmas music whenever you want.
11. Stockings before or after presents? Before.
12. Carolers, do you or do you not listen to them? I used to go caroling with my church, but honestly, I don't really like it.
13. Go to someone else's house or they come to you? We go to our parents' houses.
14. Do you read the Christmas Story the night before Christmas? Nope; though I usually hear it at church on Christmas Eve.
15. What do you do after presents and dinner? Watch a movie or play a game together. Or go to church if it's Christmas Eve.
16. What is your favorite holiday smell? The Christmas tree
17. Ice skating or walking around the mall? Um...neither? I'm a terrible ice skater and I hate the crowds at the mall. Can I pick the fireplace option again?
18. Favorite Christmas memory? the candlelight Christmas Eve service with my family.
19. Favorite Part about winter? Chrismas!
20. Ever been kissed under mistletoe? Nope, but there's a first time for everything!