Quick Takes (17)

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Is anyone else bummed that Advent Prayer Buddies are already over tomorrow?  4 weeks seems to just fly by compared with 6 weeks that we've done during Lent and the summer.  I'm thinking we should go from Advent-Epiphany next year...what do you think?  That would give us another 2ish weeks.  I don't want to stop praying for my Prayer Buddy, and I do so good being disciplined for a certain time frame.  Of course, I'll continue praying after Prayer Buddies officially ends, but sometimes I need that extra motivation to stay daily committed.

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Tomorrow marks my 1-year blog-o-versary.  I can't believe it's only been a year of blogging.  It seems like some of the relationships are much deeper than that, but I suppose when we pour our hearts out online, it doesn't take long to get to know another.  It all started here.  I distinctly remember the low point I was at when I started the blog and how desperate I was for some support from like-minded individuals.  What a blessing it's been to be a part of the blogging community for a year.  God has spoken to me and through me in so many ways.  I can't imagine not being a blogger now!

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This marks post #99.  I'm almost to 100 posts in a year.  That's not too bad...an average of a post every 3-4 days.  I feel a giveaway coming soon!

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It looks like it's hardly going to be a white Christmas here, which is a little unusual.  We had just a dusting of snow this week, but that's all.

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I'm so excited for Christmas surprises.  Surprise #1 is going to be Skyping with my family Sunday after church.  They all get together at my aunt and uncle's house, and since my DH and I aren't there, my aunt is arranging a surprise video Skype.  My 89 year-old grandma is going to have a fit.  She's never used a computer before and isn't even aware you can talk and see someone at the same time.  In the same way, my 62 year-old father is going to be surprised as well.  Maybe this will finally motivate him to buy his own laptop and learn how to use a computer. 

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Surprise #2 is just for my DH and I.  At our ultrasound appointment last Friday, we had the tech write down the gender of our baby, along with a CD full of pictures, and put it in a sealed envelope.  DH and I are going to open the envelope and finally watch the CD on Christmas Day!  I'm so excited!!!  But...we're still not telling anyone the gender until Baby arrives.  It'll be our little secret, but no one else IRL knows what we did with the envelope....so don't tell.

DH and I both really wanted to find out the gender, but we wanted it to be something special just between us.  I didn't want to lie to people for 20 weeks saying we didn't know the gender when we really did.  Then I thought of this idea with Christmas because everyone has been asking me what I want for Christmas, and my response all along has been, "a healthy baby."  That's truly all I want for Christmas.  This is a way to make the healthy baby part of our Christmas Day celebration, and I'm also hoping it means we don't have to lie to people since most everyone close to us has already asked if we found out the gender at the appointment.  If people do ask if we know the gender, my line will be, "we didn't find out at the ultrasound."  It's not a lie, so I can still sleep at night, yet DH and I still have something special between us and Baby.  And what a fun story it will be to tell our child some day.

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Merry Christmas to all!  May the celebration of the birth of our Savior fill your hearts with peace, joy, and hope this weekend!  Especially to those of you waiting....you're on my heart and in my prayers.  I clearly remember how difficult Christmas can be to the waiting and IF heart.

 

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