one more surprise

Just when I thought I was going to coast into the New Year, home free and chillin', we decide to visit our family in Southern California last minute. Okay, so it's for my mother-in-law's birthday and they asked us to come down (less than a week from the day of, mind you). We have got to stop doing these last-minute flights because they are expensive. Plus, it takes up three of my vacation days of having no agenda. Thankfully I'll have three more when we get back before returning to work.

happy holidays

M*E*R*R*Y C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S!

I wish you a happy holiday of cheer, merriment, love, and lightness.

The Today Show has been talking about the Christmas story, religion, JESUS and not in a PC-heavy or ironic way. It is nice to see the meaning of the season embraced so publicly.

In this natural time of looking back before looking forward, I think about how at the beginning of the year I thought 2008 would be great. And it has been - despite the global financial crisis. It has been a year full of fun and milestones like the Mister's 30th birthday and our 5 year anniversary. It was a year of travel and job transitions. A year of blogging for SparkleShelf, which I have decided to take a break from due to busyness. A year that focused more on having a good time than being concerned with my purpose in life.

More reflection and resolution making and breaking will take place as the new year nears, but today it's all about being cozy over hot tea, uplifting movies, and good reads. And ever present while wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas" and calling far-off family is gratitude for the beautiful year. To health and happiness.

cracked out on christmas?

I love Christmas, it was my favorite holiday. It still may be. But, it's no secret that the season is tangled up in major consumer culture, materialsm, and political correctness. Add to that pre-vacation pushes at work, sugar overload, and fun parties that take place weeks before the actual holiday. What I have at the end of a whirlwind first three weeks of December is exhaustion. But perhaps it is fitting that I want to just curl up and do quiet things like watch DVDs and read during my break. Maybe this will help me be centered on the significance of the season.

I did all my holiday shopping today online (we only shop for parents and children now). After I spread my holiday cheer (with free shipping, thank God) I moved on to charitable donations. Now, the Mister and I believe in tithe and giving but we are terrible at following through. I was thrilled to find that the three organizations I wanted to give to are on Network for Good. From their About Us page:

"Imagine what the world would be like if every time you were inspired to help someone or something, you could -- with just a few clicks of a mouse, anywhere online. That’s the mission of Network for Good. We make it as easy to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online, and we make it simple and affordable for all nonprofits, of any size, to recruit donors and volunteers via the Internet."

The only thing is, they charge 4.75% of the donation but users can opt to add that amount so the orgs can receive the full amount. However, it may be worth the price of having all our giving centralized, to have monthly withdrawals, and to have a neatly compiled report come tax season. But we'll see.

We gave to our church, an org that seeks to make justice systems work for the abused and oppressed (including slavery), and an org through which we could provide a goat to a village in Kenya. Even better, my work has a charity match program and the latter two non-profits qualify. I felt my spirits lift once I completed the transaction. It truly is better to give. To let go of money and to give it to those in need is a freeing and powerful thing.

a quick holiday party recap

Chrismakkuh comes early in the form of holiday parties.

12/4 - Over the Rhine concert in SF was totally worth trekking to the city on a work night. It was really strange hearing the band talk so openly about Christmas, sing Christmas songs (albeit more melancholy style ones), and have a World Vision booth there - this is SF we're talking about. It was awesome.

12/5 - The Mister's holiday party took place at a different winery from years past, and it was very nice! The decorations were elegant and festive, the food was delish, and the raffle was a lot of fun as always. We stepped out on the earlier side (shortly after they queued up the disco music) because we wanted to unwind in our cozy home.

12/6 - The Yahoo holiday party was Vegas theme and it was the most elaborate party I've ever attended. I heard there may have been 6000 people in attendance and there was so much going on: 5 Vegas theme areas complete with buffets (Caesar's Palace, Treasure Island, Luxor, Paris, Old Town), gambling for raffle tickets, dance floor with a GREAT DJ, arcade games, dueling pianos, Tina Turner impersonator, and 80s cover band. We were there until the end and the florescent lights came on at 1:30am.

12/7 - Sunday was a nice recovery day of church, napping, and our friend's birthday party. It was a lovely, relaxing, and lively way of wrapping up the weekend. Until I couldn't fall asleep, tossed and turned most of the night, and was a zombie this Monday morning.

Now it's another week, and it is tempered with some stress over the huge layoffs that are expected on Wednesday. Hopefully I, and our entire department, will be spared. Then this weekend it's the Mister's birthday and our 5th anniversary!