Merry Christmas!

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I'm writing this entry on my very own brand new laptop the Big Scary Guy gave me for Christmas. I had been using an old one of his which was okay but he surprised me with one of my own. I'm excited for a lot of reasons not the least of which is it actually has a battery that works . I can take it to the bookstore without having to drag a big long cord with me. I can't wait! And since the BSG and Tommy and I all have gift cards to Barnes and Noble we'll probably go tomorrow and I can try portable computing for myself. I also received a digital camera and since we're planning a visit to West Virginia next weekend to see the babies, expect pictures soon.

It's been a wonderful Christmas season beginning with our trip to Jeff and Stacy's. On the fifteenth we took Tommy to Cleveland to see A Christmas Carol at the Ohio Theater. We were seated in the second row from the stage so we felt as if they were acting just for us. It amazes me that people can memorize pages and pages of script and repeat it back in a totally believeable manner. The actors were excellent. The man who was Scrooge did an exceptional job. His "bah! humbugs" were second to none. The bad weather even held off until we were on our way back to Conneaut.

We enjoyed seeing the kids at church do their pageant, complete with shepherds, angels, wise guys, er, wise men, Mary and Joseph and of course, Baby Jesus. It was a quality job from start to finish. The Christmas story remains as fresh as ever, reminding us again of the real reason for the season. My favorite part of the program was watching Tom play the saxophone for the first time in almost thirty five years. I was so proud. I hope he does it again sometime.

Last night we went to Aunt Herbie's house for the Cole Christmas Eve. It was nice to see some cousins we hadn't seen in several years as well as the ones we see regularly. The evidence that the aunts and uncles are getting older is sobering, but then, I am fifty. I probably seemed ancient to the kids running around.

Today we had Christmas dinner with Mom and Dad. We're privileged to have them in such good health. We dined on ham, potato salad, beets, fruit salad and corn, followed by slabs of chocolate cake. It was so good. We exchanged gifts, then Tom and I burned the boxes and wrapping paper from the morning. After we came home Tom did laundry. Next year I'm buying him something to play with; he's driving me nuts.

Merry Christmas to all.

The Rodgers Christmas Celebration

Last weekend the Big Scary Guy and I traveled to Mifflinburg, PA to be with my parents and Jeff's family for our Rodgers family Christmas. We arrived just in time for meatball subs on Thursday evening. Stacy had decorated their house beautifully, with a tree that could have been on a magazine cover, pine roping and red bows on the bannister, and old fashioned oil lanterns and greens on the porch. We sat around playing Christmas CDs and catching up on the latest news.

Friday we made the obligatory trip to Wenger's, a grocery store run by Mennonites. The prices are too good to pass up and the chocolate I was going to purchase turned into a cartful of bargains. Then we went to a farm market where I found several more food items I hadn't known I needed but discovered that I did. Before starting out on this trek we'd started a roaster full of sauerkraut baking and by the time we returned the house smelled heavenly. Stacy had purchased a selection of meats and breads from Germany on the internet for Jeff's birthday in October. They'd saved them to have when we all got together. What a feast! We had bratwurst, knockwurst, and some other wurst (NOT liverwurst, I checked) along with mashed potatoes, the sauerkraut and two types of German bread. It was delicious.

Then we went to the Christkindl Market. Mifflinburg holds it each year and every year it gets bigger. This year it started a block from Jeff and Stacy's house and stretched several blocks and around a corner. There are little sheds on both sides of the street where vendors sell everything from black forest cake to pierogis to soap to hand-knit articles to wines to craft items. I bought eleven bars of handmade soaps (if you bought ten you got one free) with such lucious names as plum spice, rosemary mint, and raspberry cream. They smell so good you want to eat them. We also bought a half pound of fudge and a giant bag of kettle corn. One of the organizations in town makes homemade vegetable soup and serves it out of a huge cauldron over an open fire. There is a blacksmith making kitchen implements and hooks and such things and a town crier in a top hat walks the streets stopping at various intervals to tell us that "all's well." Saint Nicholas arrives each year in his beautiful Old World robes. One of the winesellers hawks tastes of spiced wine he describes as "Christmas in a cup." We wandered up and down the street poking our noses into the sheds. We saw two men blowing long Alpine horns and the high school put on a concert in the Lutheran Church which is located right in the middle of the festivities. We look forward all year to Christkindl. One year I bought Tom's Christmas present, a cuckoo clock, there.

Unfortunately, neither Stephanie nor Brittany could get away from school to be with us. That was a disappointment but we did get to spend time with Tyler and the twins, Cain and Caleb. All three boys are geeks (it's a good thing to be a geek!) so Tom had a good time talking electronics with them. He even left them his latest copy of "Nuts and Volts" magazine.

After returning from Christkindl we ate pie and ice cream and opened our gifts. I had to work Saturday at 11 a.m. so we got up at o'dark thirty and started home. Tom got the short end of the stick as I slept the whole four hour trip. Sorry, honey.
As far I'm concerned Christmas has officially started.

On another note, I bought another CD, "Noel" by Josh Groban. It is wonderful. Nobody can sing pa rum pa pum pum like he can!

Wrapping Presents and Other Christmas Joys

There are some tasks I usually put off until the last possible moment and gift wrapping is one of those. Yesterday, though, I did the unthinkable. There was a bulging Barnes and Noble bag on one of the kitchen chairs and I knew it would drive me crazy until it was put away. For some strange reason I went to the closet, hauled out the wrapping paper, bows, and scotch tape and started to wrap. I wrapped all the gifts for Jeff's family then started on the books. Two hours later I had wrapped every single present in the house. To say I felt smug would be an understatement. And it gets better. One of my internet purchases came today and at this minute it is safely wrapped, beribboned and awaiting a place under the tree, if we ever get the tree up.

Speaking of the Christmas tree, I 'd just as soon not put one up. The Big Scary Guy is allergic to real pine trees and I'm sick and tired of our artificial one. If I could afford all new ornaments every year maybe I'd feel differently, but I know this year's tree will look just like last year's tree which looked just like the previous year's tree. I enjoy all the outdoor lighting displays around town and think bright colored lights are a wonderful way to celebrate Jesus' birth. But for me putting up a Christmas tree isn't worth the effort. Tom says I'm crazy.

One of the best parts of Christmas for me is the music. I love the carols. This year I bought Mannheim Steamroller's new CD as well as "One Wintry Night" by David Phelps. He puts his own spin on the music so it's a little different than we're used to but for the most part I like it a lot. All except "I'll Have a Blue, Blue Christmas Without You." He could have left that one out.

I treated myself to a 2 CD set of "Messiah" by George F. Handel. If I could only have one type of Christmas music this would be it. I always get the chills listening to it. In fact, I listen to it all year long which is why I bought a new set this year. My old one was scratched.

Tommy loves to listen to Dave Koz who plays the saxophone in a soft jazz style. A couple of years ago we took him to a Dave Koz Christmas concert. I believe it was quite nice although what I remember most is the seats were made for folks much narrower than I. It was a long two hours. Tommy, however, had a wonderful time. We listen to Koz's Christmas CDs every year and enjoy them very much. Several years ago I bought a CD by a group called Rockapella. They sing in a pop a capella style and the songs are fun. Tom and I like to play it very loudly on the car CD player as we're driving down the road.

The beef stew is smelling great and Tom's due home any minute so it's time to turn off the computer. Have a great day!

I saw a sign the other day that I liked: "autumn is a season after which we start looking forward to spring!" That about sums it up for me.

Th UPS man brought the first of my gift purchases today. I ordered it on Monday and since today is Thursday, that's not bad at all. Now I need to pull out the gift wrap and get busy. Maybe tomorrow. I tried going shopping at the mall today, but all I got was a headache. Guess I'll do some more online. One shopping trip I'm looking forward to is to Barnes and Noble in Erie. I love buying books and I have a whole list of folks who are getting them from Tom and me. People probably groan when they pick up their gift marked "from Cindy and Tom". "Another book. Can't they find something else to buy?" But we love books and figure no one can have too many, so we buy them. And then we ask if, when they've read them, could we please borrow them? Except, of course, the children's books we give Lakyn and Lani. We read them first, before the girls get them.

Speaking of books, I've been rereading one of Philip Yancey's called Soul Survivor. In it he talks about the harm caused by the church in which he was raised, with its legalism and racism and other isms. He nearly rejected religion because of these things. He asked "why am I still a Christian? What keeps me pursuing a gospel that has come to me amid so much distortion and static, that often sounds more like bad news than good?" That sounds like a good question to me. While I am confident the gospel I learned as a child wasn't distorted, looking back I remember standards, rules and thou shalt nots being preached far more than anything else. As an adult I heard a catecism question whose answer was that we should enjoy God. I was absolutely floored. I had no idea we could actually enjoy God. I still struggle with that concept. I love God and want to serve Him but often feel so burdened with guilt that I haven't prayed long enough or read enough scripture or simply don't feel spiritual that I have trouble relaxing enough to enjoy God. But we're working on that, God and me.

Getting back to Philip Yancey, he said he had "a thirst for God, a reverence for the Bible,and a love for Jesus" so he set out to reconcile his religious past with his spiritual present. He did this by searching for role models, some of which are rather surprising. The first one he showcases is Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tom's home and wants to talk and I can't concentrate so I'll continue with this tomorrow.

Post Thanksgiving Day Musings

It seems I'm not as smart as I thought I was. I was so smug, no Black Friday shopping for me. No crowds, no lines at the checkout, no craziness. I was not going to be a shopping cliche. Ha! Monday morning I spent a pleasant hour pointing and clicking and typing in my credit card number. Then while listening to the radio I discovered I had taken part in a new shopping cliche, Cyber Monday! What a shocker. I may have to actually go shopping, but the majority of the gifts Tom and I give will come to our house via UPS.

Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful. Both Douglas and Tommy were home and we had dinner with Mom and Dad. Along with the turkey I cooked Tom's goose. Seriously, he'd asked me to make a goose, too, so I did. It was surprisingly tasty, though there wasn't much meat on it. Mom baked both pumpkin and red raspberry pies. Yum. The boys and Tom and I had Friday breakfast at Perkins before Douglas went back to Columbus. Then on Saturday Tom, Tommy, and the neighbor kid cleaned the garage. We had a huge smelly bonfire at my folk's place. All very satisfying.

Thinking of Thanksgiving, there are innumerable things for which I am thankful. Among these are: bifocals, medications, my new job, my family, my home, my church, chocolate chip cookies, pizza delivery, sunshine, rain, flowers, good books, ice water, and coffee.

Well, Tom'll be home soon and there are pork chops to cook so I'll close for now. Happy Tuesday everybody!

Till Death Do Us Part

I'm going down memory lane today to a beautiful autumn day in 1975 when two young people happily pledged their lives to one another. Thirty two years ago I married Tom Misch. We were so young and so in love, so hopeful, with our lives stretching endlessly into the future. By now, though, we've lived through a lot of that future. It's been good for the most part. We had some hard times, the death of Tom's mother, Scott's death, nursing school, Tommy's infancy and his subsequent challenges, Tom's diabetes and my bipolar disorder,and now trying to support Douglas through an unwanted divorce. But each difficulty brought us closer as we leaned on each other and drew strength from one another. We pledged to grow old together, but I for one never thought about actually aging. Then one day I looked in the mirror and realized aging is a reality! I've been scrapbooking pictures from when the kids were little and oh, yes, we've all changed. But the journey has been fun and I'd do it all over again. I'm still madly in love with Tom Misch. He's my best friend. So as we celebrate today it's with joy and anticipation of the next thirty two years. Happy Anniversary my love!

A Week Later...

It's been a week since my last day at LaECI. People keep asking me if I miss it and the answer is NO! I'm enjoying taking care of the client I have and am still on the lookout for one more. But my stress level has gone down significantly and I aim to keep it there.

Last week Tom and I got to visit Douglas and Lakyn and Lani. Those babies are beyond precious. We took pictures but unfortunately they're on film rather than digital. I'm asking dear old Santa for a digital camera for Christmas. When that happens, look out. I'll be the proverbial grandmother with bazillions of grandbaby pictures. The kids are growing so fast; it's hard to believe they are close to a year old. Lani will pull herself up to the couch. Lakyn's not too interested in that yet, but can they zip around on their bellies! They make me tired just watching them. We don't get to see them very often nor for very long but each moment is treasured immeasureably. I love being a grandma.

Going back to my job, I did my first online billing today and it went surprisingly easy. I hope I did it right! I had to get my account set up with the billing company so I haven't been paid yet for any of the visits I've done. Since I don't work for the warm fuzzies I was glad to finally have things in place for billing. Now we'll wait and see how long it takes for payment.

Since my bathroom is screaming to be scrubbed I'll close for now. Hope everyone has a nice day. Cindy

I Quit My Job Today

I was paroled today from the Lake Erie Correctional Institution! After five years of nursing at LaECI I struck out on my own today as an independent healthcare provider. I will care for people in their homes and be paid by the state through the Waiver program. I have one part time client and a strong possibility for a second. I'm very excited to be doing this. It's been a long time coming. I really enjoyed being at the prison for most of the five years I was there. It's just been the last 5 or 6 months I began to feel it was time to move on. I explored the independent provider thing as a way to possibly someday care for my parents and get paid for it. Since they're the picture of health and have more fun than I do, I decided to put myself to work. So, with the support, both emotional and financial, of Tom and the expertise of my cousin, Lori, I now join the ranks of the self-employed. Suprisingly, my anxiety level has already gone down. I truly feel this move is a God thing and I can't wait to see where He leads.