Flarp

Yes, I realize it's been 4 months or more since my last post. I've been too busy living to actually bother documenting any of it. I've also been a bit uninspired, you you can check out my Twitter if you really need to find out what I've been up to. In short: my niece's 3rd birthday, a trip to Kings Dominion which rocked,  a trip to DC which was awesome, the 1 year anniversary of my grandfather's death,  Halloween at work, my 35th birthday, my sister's 30th birthday, our first deep fried Thanksgiving turkey, a Christmas I spent at work, but I had multiple Christmases around actual Christmas..one of which involved a large metal chicken. Then there was New Year's sushi followed by a drunken redneck party that involved fire and guns, then there was a wedding in which I got completely hammered and fell on my face in the driveway after I got home. I met some awesome but unique people..one of which wore part of her pony-girl costume to the wedding. I won't explain. If you Google it..it's probably not work safe. I'll just leave it there. At some point I hope to elaborate on all this, but I don't have the energy for it right now. I'm at work and it's slow..and I've spent the past few hours playing with noise putty, or flarp as it's sometimes called. Goo in a cup that makes fart noises. Yep..you're never too old to laugh at farts. For right now, that is all.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Alright, alright..I realize it's already past both those holidays, but I've been busy. The past few months seem almost like a dream. Jeff's been traveling a lot and brought me pretty things from all across the globe. This past Christmas was incredible. It was the first in a long time where we rolled out of bed and straight down to the tree in our pj's. Noel got a big girl bike and a hobby horse..she was amazed at all the stuff under the tree! I had to work the night before, so Jeff waited to come pick me up and then we headed up to VA at midnight. It's been an 18 year tradition that he goes to the Omelette Shop on Christmas, so we stopped and had a late dinner/early breakfast which I paid for the rest of the day. Upset stomach when there's so much Christmas yums to have is just not fun! We got to my parents house around 3am & was up by 8.

It was just a fantastic Christmas. It had nothing to do with the gifts. Don't get me wrong..we all got some great stuff, a Pandora charm bracelet, cute pj's, jewelry, clothes, gift cards, furniture, money, I could keep going..but this isn't the point of my story. It was just relaxed and fun...it was about spending time with family, laughs, and fun...which is exactly what Christmas is supposed to be about anyway and the way that God intended it. Loving the time with your family and enjoying each others company is the best way to celebrate Jesus' birth..it has nothing to do with how much money you spend or how many gifts you get or give. It's about love..and this Christmas was full of it. It was also full of snow, which was awesome!

After Christmas at my parents house, we went over to Jeff's brother's house for lunch and gifts. There was soooo much food that I can't believe I had only one plate full..and only one serving of Aunt Brenda's broccoli casserole. It's the most awesome thing ever. I don't know what she does, but I've never had any that compares to hers. We had something like 13 people there, so we couldn't even fit in one room to open gifts. Even Justin, who's normally very quiet and reserved, was more at ease, open and talkative than I have ever seen him. I think a lot of it has to do with Jamie and Crystal both dating other people who have kids. Him and Griffin get more attention and therefore more social interaction and while I don't agree with the whole living/dating situation, it seems to have had a positive impact on Justin, and that's really what's most important. Christmas at the Lane household was followed by dinner back over at my parents house. Oh..and I forgot to mention that we left yet another gift in Paul & Brenda's front yard! This year was a Hokie Forest Face. They loved it!!!

After dinner, we went to Ron & Misty's for Christmas with the kids and had a great time. We also went by the mausoleum to visit my grandparents. They hadn't engraved my grandfather's marker yet, so Mom called to get that straightened out. We drove up to the Star to gets pictures of Roanoke covered in snow.

I love my little hometown! =)

The weekend went by way too fast, but it was so much fun! For New Year's, Jeff took me to The Melting Pot for dinner and we rang in 2011 with a champagne toast and some awesome fondue. I was stuffed and we had a great time! I'm hoping this year will be prosperous. I want the economy to improve, I want Kelly to find a job that's fulfilling and allows her to still spend time with Noel. I hope for a little one of my own. I hope to get my house decluttered and suitable for having company. We just have way too much stuff that needs to be gone through and tossed. It's a daunting task! Most importantly, I hope to re-renew my relationship with God and find an intimacy that seems to get lost in the day to day shuffle of life. I miss feeling that closeness. The same thing happens with Jeff. We get busy doing our tasks and forget how important it is to stay connected. We drift apart and a few months later we notice it and reconnect. It makes me wonder though, am I the cause of it? Am I the one doing the drifting?? Probably..and I want to work on that this year. So, here's to hoping that everyone has a fabulous year and accomplishes what that want to! God bless!

Tithings of Comfort & Joy...(long)

Ah..what a busy year it's been. I started it off in Jacksonville, FL for New Years and then it was followed by kidney stones, medical bills and lots of other traveling. Roanoke, Myrtle Beach, Richmond, Gatlinburg, Charlotte, Harrisonburg, Wilmington...I'm sure I'm leaving a city or two out. My sister's wedding was also planned this year. Hectic with dress fittings and toast writing, this year felt like a whirlwind.

The Bachelorette party was incredible. My sister has such wonderful friends. We went to Myrtle Beach to celebrate the passing of her singleness and had a lot of fun and alcohol. Kelly had been so stressed over the wedding planning that she was about to rip her hair out. It was great to see her laughing again and completely letting loose. She definitely needed it!

Six weeks after the bachelorette party, Kelly got married. I came up a few days early to help out. We had to put chair covers on in the reception hall, decorate tables and clean up while the florist was doing his thing. That was an all day thing. The next day was filled with fighting mall traffic for pantyhose, getting my nails done and trying not to ruin them while I got ready for the rehearsal. I tripped going up the stairs by the way. I almost cried watching dad walk Kelly down the aisle. The church was gorgeous..so if you're getting married..go to Grandin Court Baptist up in Roanoke. Then it was off to rehearsal dinner at the Roanoker where Kelly gave us these gorgeous garnet and white gold necklaces. I'm still wearing it actually.

Jeff couldn't make it to the rehearsal or dinner because of a shipping issue I had. Let me go back a bit. I had a bizarre dream that I don't remember, but as soon as I woke up from it, I knew exactly what I was going to say for my sister's toast. The short version is that life has many roads and to navigate them, you need a compass. But, a compass is no good if you can't see where you're going...so, I was going to give Tim a compass and my sister a light. I shopped around until I found a beautiful compass that I had engraved. I paid for it on the 9th to include 4-6 day shipping. I figured I'd give it an extra 2 days to account for the engraving, but by the 18th when I hadn't received it, I started freaking out. She told me it was being sent USPS and gave me a tracking number. I told her I needed it by the 21st since I was going out of town....so, she pulled it and sent it UPS 3 day. When I looked it up on the 21st, it said the shipment had been voided. ?! WHAT?! I flipped out and called Jeff. My very resourceful and dedicated husband, found the right tracking number where she'd pulled it yet again and sent it UPS 2 day air, so it was set to arrive on Friday the 22nd. He had to wait for it to arrive before he could leave and it didn't get there until 3:30 that afternoon..so that's why he missed rehearsal and dinner.

Ok..so anyway, that night I didn't sleep a wink because I was agonizing over exactly how to word my toast and if it would come out ok. The morning of the wedding, we went and had our hair done and got back to the house with enough time to do make-up and get to the church by 1:30. We got dressed, took a ton of pictures and before we knew it, it was 4pm. I did not trip walking up the steps this time and Kelly looked absolutely stunning. The ceremony was quick and laid back. Woody did a great job of officiating. It was followed by more pictures then a limo ride to the reception hall. The jr. bridesmaid and groomsmen were adamant they were riding in the limo, so we had to make some adjustments. Hannah, the jr. bridesmaid was so excited she could barely contain herself all day. It was almost to the point of being really irritating, but she was also just so completely cute, you couldn't help but smile at her childish wonderment.

The reception was a blast. The food was phenomenal and the hall was gorgeous. The Christmas tree was 10 ft. tall with 1300 lights, glass engraved keepsake ornaments, 2 dozen roses and crystal beading. All the wedding gifts went under the tree and there were 5 columns with greenery and lights. There were also massive rose bouquets that were to die for. I cried when Dad and Kelly danced to "I loved her first" by Heartland. Dad was crying and so was Kelly...it was just such a touching moment, I cried. I also got to dance w/ Jeff to our song and got to see my 85 yr. old Grandma dance to Rapper's Delight. It was a trip! She was tearing up that dance floor. I'm so glad I got pictures! Grandpa just had a great time laughing at her. They don't get out much, so it was nice seeing them have a good time. My toast turned out very well and I think they liked it. My voice was a little waivery, but it was good.

After the reception, we cleaned up and then Jeff and I went to the Grandin Theatre to see A Christmas Story on the big screen. I was so tired I slept through most of it, but I woke up for the good parts. They gave out door prizes and free Ovaltine. Rock!

Christmas Eve was a late party at Jeff's brother's and a late stay at the Omlette Shoppe. Christmas Day was full of house hopping and present opening. I had a lot of fun just being with family though. Tim's a great addition and suits my sister wonderfully. I really liked having him there with the family on Christmas. It felt complete. Maybe it was the contentment of knowing the wedding came out perfectly and we were just very relaxed after a stressful year. Either way, I felt very blessed to be there with my family. I loved watching our god-children open their gifts and seeing the look on Jeff's aunt and uncle's faces after we left our yearly prank in their yard. That was priceless! But next year...how do you top a farting dog??

Kelly and Tim left for Hawaii on the 26th and I'm anxious to see how they're doing. I hope they're safe and having fun. I miss her. I hope everyone else's Christmas was just as wonderful and that you all had safe travels!! To Kelly and Tim..Congratulations!!! I love you!