MERRY CHRISTMAS!

we have just experienced our first christmas as a family... eric, myself, zaida, & buddy. what an awesome celebration!!

we had christmas with the keese side on the 22nd. the roads were not good, so we celebrated at my parents house. grandma did most of the cooking, and boy was it delicious! we got some very nice gifts, too.

we traveled to wausau on the 23rd. zaida was such a good little trooper in the car. we did not realize that the roads were so AWFUL, or we would have spent the night in minneapolis. we were so relieved to just get there! we enjoyed time with bruce & jan, holly, grandma & grandpa wetzel, and the olson's. zaida enjoyed receiving her gifts, although we didn't let her open them since all she wants to do is eat the wrapping paper. :)

we will have our keese christmas on new year's eve... can't wait!

ONE MISSISSIPPI

this is the latest book i just finished. it's our third book club book, and i must say that i really enjoyed parts of it! i am anxious to get together and talk about different aspects of the story... some interesting stuff. that's all i'll say.

UPDATE: we got together and talked about this book, and after thinking about all the things that happened... WEIRD. there were parts that i really enjoyed, but there were also just some WEIRD parts. hmmm...

here is what ONE MISSISSIPPI is about...

Daniel Musgrove is a teenager in the early 1970s. His dad is a salesman, and his company moves him around from year to year. Now they're moving to Minor, Mississippi.

Halfway through high school, Daniel is out of place not only as a new student, but as a Yankee who couldn't care less about the integration issue. He and his new best friend, Tim Cousins, spend most of their free time together. They share their obsession for Sonny and Cher, and they go to the prom with a set of twins.

When the boys are involved in a terrible accident that seriously injures Arnita Beecham, the school's first black prom queen, life gets complicated. Daniel ends up helping the Beecham household, then helping Arnita when she gets home. Due to a major head injury, she is going through an identity crisis that devastates her family.

The chronicling of Daniel's time in Mississippi meanders through teen and adult issues, as he faces that crucial moment of leaving childhood behind. His friendship with Tim will explore dimensions he never imagined, even with the hints along the way. Despite his desire to be "cool" instead of a "brain/loser," Daniel enters this book an innocent. He will emerge from his tale something entirely different.

Childress vividly captures a difficult coming-of-age story. Racism, teen love, family, bullies, and other issues are encompassed in a seamless flow. The characters around Daniel, especially Tim, are larger than life. Viewing the 1970s South from a young "Yankee's" perspective is sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart wrenching.

ODE TO OPRAH

we have been doing netflix for the past year, (and if you don't get netflix... you're really missing out!) and our plan entitles us to 2 DVDs at a time. sometimes eric and i get things to watch together and other times he gets the "guys" type movie that he knows i won't watch, and i get the "chick flick" that he would not be caught dead watching. i just got oprah's 20th anniversary special and watched it this morning with a box of kleenex. it was so good! first you learn about oprah's career from the beginning, and then there is a part called "heartprints" (i think that's right- it's heart something). these are the stories that were nearest and dearest to her heart. oh, it was so good. i just had myself a good cry, snuggled zaida, and thanked God that he has blessed me with this life. :)

JUST THAT TIRED

this is a picture of zaida fast asleep with her head in her lap. she was playing with eric the other day, and the next thing he knew zaida was fast asleep like this. we were cracking up! i can relate, sometimes i feel like i could just fall asleep anywhere, anytime.

BOOK CLUB- WITHOUT THE BOOK

we had our second book club this week and only one of us finished the book. whoops! it was a historical fiction, so it was kind of slow moving...plus things are so crazy this time of year. Soooooo we decided to do dinner at Star Bar. This is the place where Eric and I ate the night he proposed. They have the best chicken strips and garlic & parmesan fries. YUM!!

MY HEROES!

yes, the kcci weather team currently holds the title HEROES in my life. we just got hit with an ice storm & they have canceled school. there is nothing like a SNOW DAY! i have a list of things i want to accomplish today: wrapping Christmas gifts, laundry, Christmas letter, checking papers, and reading my book club book. i also intend on staying in my comfies, watching a movie, and playing with zaida.

everytime the weather is bad and ballard cancels, i always call my dad and say, "i wish i taught at ballard." i say this in a whiney voice & act dramatic about it. (it makes it funnier) well... this morning waukee is currently canceled and ballard has not popped across the screen yet. what does my dad do, you guessed it-- called & said, "i wish i taught at waukee." ha ha!! (by the way- ballard is now closed, too)

HALLOWEEN...ONE MORE TIME!

we just couldn't resist taking a few more pictures of zaida in her cute little penguin costume. since we knew that this thing would be retired soon, we thought we would pull it out one more time. we can't wait until next halloween!