Bring on Christmas!

I'm excited to put a Christmas layout up so I'll be experimenting with new layouts today! They are so cute!

Feasting on the Goodness of God

May today be blessed with feasting on the goodness of God!

If Christmas could be Thanksgiving...

I'm itching to change my blog layout to a Christmas theme but I vowed to not do it until Friday. I love Christmas and all the decorating that goes with it but I think by doing that, I'm blowing past Thanksgiving, a holiday that of all holidays shouldn't be blown off. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's about being around family and loved ones and good food that you splurge on once per year. It's about reflecting on what's going good in your life even when you can count several things that aren't. Thanksgiving isn't about lots and lots of presents and wondering who to give a present to or rather, who you feel obligated to give a present to.

I love the Christmas decorating, lights, baking, and music...just not the commercialism of trying to keep up with the Jones. So to stay true to honoring Thanksgiving, I'm waiting until Friday to spring Christmas on my life! :)

Friday, Walt and I are doing our tradition of putting up the Christmas tree and decorations while drinking hot chocolate. He's a good sport and always asks if we can play Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" because he knows it's my favorite fun song at Christmas! All this will be worked around watching the Husker game, of course! (1:30pm our time)

Free Dr. Pepper Promo Extended!

I completely forgot about the Dr. Pepper promo yesterday! Thankfully this was posted on their site this morning! YAY! I tried to order online but it worked better to call the number below and leave a message!

DR PEPPER EXTENDS FREE COUPON OFFER DUE TO CONSUMER DEMAND
Everyone in America has until 6 PM EST on Monday, November 24 to get a free 20 oz. Dr Pepper
Click here to get a Free Dr Pepper for a limited time.
We are sorry for any delays you have experienced in securing a coupon for a free Dr Pepper. While we had taken additional steps to meet the expected demand for our offer, the response has been greater than anticipated. To resolve this, we are increasing our server capacity and making a toll-free number available (1-888-DRPEPPER or 1-888-377-3773). In addition, as a result of the technical delays, we are extending the offer and will provide more information shortly.
Thanks for your patience and support.

Dr Pepper to deliver on its free soda promise!

LOS ANGELES – Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality. The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Dr Pepper is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

Life in the slow lane

No, I'm not talking about the more advanced age demographic that is prevelant in Arizona. I'm talking about me. For the last two weeks, I have had three different ailments that at their worst have left me flat on my back. (neck, then abdominals, then lower back) God, if you're trying to get my attention, I'm all yours!

It's been a struggle because the last couple weeks, we closed on our house and I'm trying to do as much as I can during the day to clean out the old apartment and unpack all of our stuff from storage. When one ailment leaves, another one pops up a couple days later. Thankfully, I am going to the chiropractor and he is helping with them!

If you could pray for me, I'd appreciate it...I feel like I'm not getting much done and every morning I have visions of what room(s) I could have completely put together. Then I go to pick something up and realize that if I get one box unpacked, I'm doing good.

This afternoon, I made about 10 trips down to the parking lot carrying everything that was less than 5 pounds out to the car but was bummed to leave 6 totes in the apartment. At least they are all packed up I just need Walt to bring them down to the car.

Time to go ice the back!

So glad it's Friday!

I'm so ready for the weekend! We don't have anything exciting planned but to maybe find the iron by Sunday night so I can iron Walt's clothes! Our weekend seems busy but it's mundane stuff or stuff we've been putting off like going to the 3.5 hour meeting at church for new attendees who are interested in finding out more about the church.

How long has it been since you went to a slumber party?

It has been a busy week!

As you know, we closed on the house on Wednesday and are waiting until Tuesday to get our belongings. Having known this in advance, we decided to have a slumber party at the house this weekend! We were going to do it on Friday night and sleep in but I had a monthly Girls of Surprise game night with some new friends from our new church! So Saturday night, we went to the new house and baked a Papa Murphy's pizza (a take-and-bake pizza chain) and indulged in some pumpkin pie ice cream! It was delicious! We brought over air mattresses and bedding and had a great time! It was actually very comfortable as the beds at the corporate apartment aren't very cozy! I could have laid there all morning thinking about all the future memories we look forward to having in our new home!

I don't have any pictures...I was doing so good with the two previous posts!

Ed was here!

Right on the heels of some Nebraska love with Traci's visit, we were excited to find out that our friend, Ed, was going to be in the Phoenix area on business! We met up with him on Thursday night for some Mexican. It was also a wonderful night because it was Ed's 40th birthday! (Ed is Helen's husband if you're trying to place the association...Helen and Ed came with Jim and visited us in Texas back in May.) It was great to have dinner and a little time afterward in his hotel suite to visit!

Here are some pics. We went to Abuelo's which we had in Dallas. I love the decor inside. It's decorated and lit like an outdoor cafe in the daytime even at night. As you can see, Ed is a great sport with pics as Helen is quite the stalker, I mean photographer! Walt and I told Ed that we were sad for him that he couldn't spend his 40th with his wife so to make it seem more like Helen was there, I brought my camera and would take several pictures during dinner. That got a laugh and a witty comeback that I'd have to pick food off his plate to really make it feel like Helen was here! We played some jokes on Helen with the photos which she loved.

The Birthday Boy!

Outside

Inside of Abuelo's

Grand Canyon

Last weekend, our friend Traci, from Nebraska, came to visit. We had a lot of fun in Scottsdale and then the next day, Walt took the day off and the three of us went to the Grand Canyon and drove through Sedona on the way up and Flagstaff on the way down. When we had dinner down at a great Mexican restaurant in Flagstaff, the waiter bid us farewell with "have a safe drive down the hill." I was the driver that day and thought what? We had not come up the main interstate that connects Flagstaff and Phoenix. We took some side highways and gentle climbs up the mountains to pass through Sedona. I figured I-17 would be smoother and more level. I was wrong! It didn't help that it was at night but I got so scared driving down "the hill" that after an hour and a half (I think), I exited and had Walt drive the rest of the way! We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing. It was fun!

Here are some pics from the weekend:

Grand Canyon (earlier in the day)

Grand Canyon (later in the day)

Traci hugging a cactus!

Home Sweet Home!

It was very rushed the last couple of days but we closed on our house late yesterday afternoon! We then rushed back up to Surprise fairly easy thanks to the HOV lanes! We got to the model home office with an hour to spare and got our keys. We went and visited the house last night and can't wait for our belongings to be delivered on Tuesday! We have a few things being touched up so are waiting a day or two to take anything from the apartment over there. I can't wait!

This week has been fairly busy so I haven't had time to post much. I will post later on last weekend's fun!

My Senator

Last night, I was very moved by Senator McCain's concession speech knowing that he was giving it only 25 miles from where I was sitting. This morning while reflecting on it, I felt proud to be a Phoenician and an Arizonian. I am proud to call Senator McCain my senator.

A Respectful Choice

It goes without saying that I am disappointed in the results of last night. I want to say that unlike so many Americans have done to President Bush, I am going to respect the authority and position of the man God has placed in charge of our country. Not because I agree with him but because he will be our leader. We need to remember that.

To those of you with children, I petition that you raise your children in a way that is respectful of our President. Whether your children were planned or surprises, you have been given the responsibility to model respect for authority to your children. This will be a foundation for them respecting federal and local governments, law enforcement, teachers, and so much more.

For some reason, the last few months, I have been thinking about a particular age of Americans: those 16-24. Why? Because too many of them have spent the last 8 years of their lives hearing their parents, family, the media, and other adults berate the President in a way that will shape the rest of their lives. For them to hear opinions that President Bush is a moron, idiot, or boob will no doubt cause problems in society on national and local levels. It is unprecedented to release a movie about a standing president yet it shows concrete evidence of the lack of respect in society.

I was 14-22 when President Clinton was in office. I did not disrespect him the way I hear so many young and old disrespect our current president. There were disagreements about his actions but such disgraceful names were not used. It wasn't because he was better, it was because he was better respected so let's do the same for President-Elect Obama.

It saddens me that so many who voted for President-Elect Obama do not know the implications of their actions. They do not know that some of the initiatives that he is for could affect the Christian community. While he may mean no harm, there are plenty of individuals that do and they will twist legislation, if passed, to make a huge impact on our religious freedom. Trust me, abortion could be the least of our issues.

It will be interesting to watch 1, 2 or 3 years from now...will those Obama voters who become dissatisfied with some of the decisions President-Elect Obama makes or promises he may not keep still be respectful of their chosen leader or will they sing a different tune because respect is no longer important in society? We shall find out.