Snow in Houston!

Growing up in GA, to me, anything west of the Mississippi River was "The West". I, of course, lived in "The South". Really - I know Texas fought in the Confederacy, but I never (and truthfully, still don't) think of Texas as part of "The South". It's a debate I've had with Texans since moving here 7 years ago. They all think because they are geographically south and they fought in the Confederacy, they are part of "The South". I still disagree - being geographically southern does not make you Southern and being west of the Mississippi just makes you "western".

I also never thought it really snows - especially along the coast. Well, for the second time in my 7 years as a transplanted Texan, I've been proven wrong. It snowed Christmas Eve of 2004 and Tim missed the actual snowfall because he was stationed in PA back then didn't get home until about 2am Christmas Day because of weather delays "up north" (which is anything north of the Mason Dixon line, in case you were wondering).

Last night, it snowed again - this time, he was here to see it. We live in the southeastern part of the State close to the water, so when I heard it was snowing on the north side of town, I was happy for them but didn't think it would make it down to our part of town. It's often a difference of 5-10 degrees between where we are and the north side of town about 30 miles away. I had a huge thrill when I walked out of the office last night into actually falling snow. It ended up being just over an inch deep at our house. It was perfect - a light snowfall without the biting wind that often comes with cold weather.

It was so much fun to play in - except I got so excited I didn't put real shoes one. I went out in my hard bottomed fuzzy slippers thinking since my feet were so warm and toasty inside, they'd be fine. I was wrong - my slippers ended up soaked and my feet freezing. Funny thing was, they weren't freezing until T finally dragged me back into the house just before midnight. Here are some pics from our house and a friend's house. Hopefully it'll happen again soon (like maybe Christmas Eve!).

Cutest Kids

Since we have no kids of our own, I've have effectively "adopted" my friends kids. I have four girlfriends here who each have 2 kids - 6 girls (including a set of identical twins) and 2 boys. Each pair is the same gender, so my friend with the 2 boys is way outnumbered! When we do small group stuff, especially at holidays, we take pictures. I am going to show them off because I don't get to show off my own kids yet... Am I a pretend aunt to the cutest kids or what?


The girls at Halloween





The boys at Halloween





Christmas





Just because

When I was a kid, there were a few ladies in my life that were so important to me. They helped me grow and learn things in the world outside my family. They were more than teachers, they were friends. It isn't often you find an adult that treats you like a friend instead of a child. They talked to me on my level but never talked down to me. They were so very instrumental in making me who I am today. I hope I can be that kind of friend for these kids. There are some days when a hug from them makes my day so much better. I look forward to seeing them Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I love it when their face lights up when they see me. I can't wait to experience this with my own kids.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so glad it's Thursday! I know the saying is TGIF, but this week, TGIT! I have been looking forward to this 2 day vacation for quite some time. I spent the week running back and forth between hearings with crazy people downtown, a deposition and a mediation. I was really stewing and worrying as I tried to sleep last Sunday, but God has proven faithful once again and gotten me through a week I didn't think I'd survive with my sanity in tact. I drove away from the mediation downtown yesterday shouting praises at God as I headed back to the office. I'm glad no one else was in the car, because I'm not sure they'd understand. I finally felt the knots in my stomach unwind and my eye that's been twitching for over a week finally started to calm down a bit as yesterday went on. I even got to leave the office around 3:30 yesterday - and truthfully, the last 30 minutes or so was spent playing Word Twist on facebook while Tim ate leftover lunch from our potluck Thanksgiving day lunch.

Today, even though I had all the freedom in the world to sleep in, I still woke up early. The turkey is almost done cooking - another 30-50 minutes, the deviled eggs (new for me this year) are done, the sweet potatoes are ready to be baked. There's a pumpkin dessert waiting and I just need to mash some white potatoes and mix up the green bean casserole and we're good to go. I'm excited (and hungry).

Last night, we started what I hope will become a new tradition. We met with the other 4 couples in our small group with all the kids for our own Thanksgiving supper. It was so much fun to eat with people you like and care about and have the kids running around. I realized we're the only couple that doesn't have 2 kids to add to the mix, but for now, I'm ok with that. When we walked in, several of the girls (the oldest is 5, the youngest is almost 3) all jumped up and shouted "hey, it's Mr. Tim". I don't think he knew what to do with that! They all ran over and hugged us and by the end of the night, they were climbing on him and he was chasing them around. I think he really likes the group better with the kids. They're all really good kids, so they're fun to be with. Hopefully this'll "soften" him up a bit. One day...

Tomorrow, I'm planning to try to get to Kohl's and a few other shops to work on Christmas shopping. There are a couple of really good deals at Kohl's, but they open at 4AM!! I really want to be there when they open because I want the gifts I found that are not only on sale, but I have an additional 15% off coupon good even with sale projects. Not sure if I'll get there when they open, but I'm going to try.

For now, though, I'm going to check on the turkey and watch the end of the Macy's parade. I'm truly thankful for my family and the blessings I've been given - including thse 2 days off of work!

John Harrington Rosser

My grandfather died this morning. He was an amazing man. I think if a dictionary was all pictures, you'd see his picture next to love. He was the best example I've ever seen of how to love others. He and my grandmother were married for almost 60 years. I've been able to witness it for the last 30. I didn't know it when I was a kid, but as I grew up, I watched how he handled other people. He always had a quick smile, sometimes indicating something mischevious was about to happen. He disciplined in love (although I was too stubborn to see it when I was younger). He and my grandmother always made sure each of their 7 grandkids felt like the only one he had. I am the oldest grandkid. The youngest is not quite 13. There's competition in a lot of families amongst kids and grandkids to be the #1 loved kid. I have always felt like I was #1 in their book. But, I know all of my cousins feel the same way. I don't know many people who can share their love that equally.

My grandfather taught me a lot of things in life. When I was really little, he was the first to show me what real cooperation was about (although I'm pretty sure I was the one trying to do the teaching, having told him if he'd just cooperate with me, we could have the leaves raked up much easier). Before duct tape caught on as the master "fixer up" tool, he taught me in his woodworking shop out back behind the house that there's nothin in life a little glue won't fix. I had trouble saying glue and since then, our family joke has been "a little 'woo' will fix it". He showed me how to peel a green grape and make it an eyeball to scare someone. He tried to teach me how to garden (it's a lesson I never quite mastered). He taught me the importance of making time for people even when you feel like you don't have the time. He made sure he attended graduations from high school, college and a late visit after law school. But most importantly, he showed me how to love. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know he was teaching the most important lesson - learning to love unconditionally is hard. I'm not sure I'll ever master it, but I had the best example in my grandparents.

Sticker Charts

I've decided my will power is about that of a 4 year old. In an effort to push myself towards a healthier life, I've decided to do a point system with rewards. So, I've created a sticker chart. You heard me - a sticker chart. I figure if it works for 4 year olds, it'll work for me. Every day I drink at least 8 8oz glasses of water (measured by my trusty water bottle) and I take both packets of vitamins, I get a sticker. At the end of the week, if I have all my stickers, I'll put $5 in my green Grinch bank (I find the bank humorous - especially I emptied it for toll money and necessities during my evacuation trip - I am not grinchy when it comes to spending money). As I start back to working out, I'll add those stickers in, too. At the end, when I've reached my weight loss goal, I'll hopefully have a nice stash of cash to go shopping for new clothes. It'll be disciplined savings for delayed gratification as well as encouragement on my way to a goal I'm having trouble keeping. I'm not focusing on the weight loss just yet because I'm trying to establish the water/vitamin habit. I've done great for 4 days now, so I have to stay consistent to get to the 21st day when a habit will hopefully have formed. It's kind of humorous to have a sticker chart with gold stars, but I find it oddly motivating. I want that next sticker. Seems like such an easy reward, but I slacked off a bit on my water just before lunch and by the afternoon, I was feeling it. It took me a few days to start feeling rehydrated and processing liquids normally, so I think I was really missing it when I slacked off. Feeling lousy may be reason enough to stay on track - I don't want to feel like that again! As soon as I started back with the water, my headache started disappearing. So, I'm off to take my last vitamin packet and drink another glass before settling in for the night. Another day, another sticker. Woo hoo!

Feeling "Wicked"

I got to go home last weekend for an all too short visit. Wicked (www.wickedthemusical.com) was in town and my mom, sister and I decided we should go see it. I'm a huge fan of Broadway and musicals, but this is the only show I have intentionally sought out and actually traveled home or had people fly out to me to go see. I've now seen it 4 times. I guess that's a bit overboard, but it's that good of a show. I love seeing it with both my mom and sister and the people in the crowd who have never seen it. If you don't know anything about it, it's a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It's the story of the 2 witches in Oz before Dorothy arrived. They go from "loathing" each other to realizing that each has mattered to the other. They realize that, regardless of their differences (which go beyond their outward appearances) each has changed the other.

Wicked is a story of learning to believe in yourself, learning to let others into your life even if they are different and learning how to stand on your own - even when it means going against the flow. There are really funny references to the movie The Wizard of Oz, but they are kind of hidden. It's so much fun to watch the audience reaction to the jokes - they usually miss the first one, but after that, they seem to catch on fairly quick. I also love watching the audience's reaction to the plot twist at the end. It's usually a collective gasp of shock - which I love to see. I love listening to those around me whisper as they start to catch on to things. It's such a fun show with great music that just sticks in your heart and makes you happy. If you get the chance to see it, I so highly recommend it. So far, it's the only show I have intentionlly bought 2 tickets back home to see.

The rest of the weekend was just as eventful - a blown power steering fluid line led to an extended trip to Wal Mart. We attempted to make merenguie cookies, which didn't turn out anything like the first time I tried them. Church Sunday, running into old friends and meeting new ones. All in all, it was a great weekend!

Home Again, Home Again

Turns out, you CAN go home again. It's not the same as when you left, but it's still home. Some things never change when you meet up with real friends. It doesn't matter how long it's been, when you're back together again, things pick up where they left off. It was the best weekend I've had in a very long time. I was so sorry it passed so quickly. We had an adventurous weekend, that's for sure.

T and I left Houston on a flight that was supposed to leave at 5:30pm and arrive in Atlanta at 8:30pm. Instead, we left at 10:30pm and got to our initial destination at 3 in the morning the next day. We had a slow tire leak in our rental car and had to stop for air each morning before beginning the day's adventure! We got to Clinton around supper time Friday afternoon and met up with Brenna, who was my roommate my sophomore year. We found several more people after supper at the pep rally and had a great time catching up and visiting.





Saturday, T & I got up early to do the fun run with Becky. We got to the stadium during what we thought was the registration time only to find out the race started 15minutes before we got there! So, we did our own fun run and walked around campus catching up and making lots of noise for the current residents of Grotnes 227 (our room my senior year). After quickly showering and changing, we went back to campus to meet everyone at the Alumni Green to get our class photo taken. We found Ellie, Stacy & Mary Frances and spent more time catching up with friends from long ago. Someone commented that we all looked the same - the only difference now is that there are kids around. I can't wait for the day I can take my own little Blue Hose back to campus!



After the class photo, we met up with others for the tailgating lunch and game. PC is in the process of moving up to Division I football. Saturday, we played the North Greenville College Crusaders and we won! It's only our 2nd win of the season and came after a couple of really disappointing losses to Wofford, App State and Elon. Right now, it's a learning experience, but hopefuly one day we'll be competing with the bigger schools for bragging rights.



Saturday after the game found us walking around campus again revisiting everything - even the remodeled campus center. Springs is totally different now - they have filled in the pool and made it into a state of the arts fitness center. That was the best change - one I wish they had made 15 years ago so we could have enjoyed it. Saturday night was spent eating out at Senor Garcia and walking around campus yet again just visiting - and taking pictures with all the new statutes.







It amazes me that someone thought that was a good use of money. Seems like it would have been better to forego the statutes (one of which is in the middle of a walkway where three separate paths converge) and use it to renovate Doyle Hall - the condemend building that's on the National Historical Register so they can't tear it down. It was condemned 10 years ago, but no one has done anything with it except board it up and block it off. Seems like waste of space!

We capped off Saturday night by visiting the Alpha Sig house with Becky's husband and some friends. It was nice to sit on the top rail of the deck again, but sad to see how young the current students are. We remember looking at the alums when we were students thinking they were so old - now, we're the old ones being stared at.

Sunday found us racing back to Atlanta to catch a flight home. We made it in time for the wedding of some friends of ours.

All in all, it was a great weekend - it's amazing how nothing really seemed to change in 10 years. The campus has changed, but my friends are still the same goofy wonderful people they were 10 years ago. There's something about crossing the railroad tracks and being back inside the bubble that takes years off your life. It's such a safe and welcoming place - I didn't want to leave. I hope it's not 10 more years before we do this again!