Sound Advice, Mr. Crosby

There's a song in "White Christmas" that goes like this: "When you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep.  And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings..."  I actually found myself doing this last night when I was struggling to go to sleep.  Hear the song here.

I know I'm blessed.  I'm blessed with the world's best husband (don't try to fight me on this, folks, he's the best, end of story).  I'm blessed with a wonderful family and great friends, and the ability to keep in touch with them even though we live across the state from each other.  I'm blessed with good health (current cold aside) and a great job.

Sometimes it's my job that keeps me up at night.  I've had two students drop out in the past two weeks.  I have students who find my last nerve and do everything they can to get on it.  I have an endless mountain of paperwork that piles up daily.  But I'm not going to focus on that.  I'm going to focus on students who are blessings to me.  (The names of my little blessings have been changed.  Can't let them know I like them...)

There's Shannon, my budding astronomer, and Hannah, who told me yesterday that she's asked for a lab coat for Christmas (as I was wearing mine).  There's Alan, who tried to get his spring semester changed so that he could take Physical Science with me (even though he hasn't taken Biology or the required maths).  There's Dinah, who wants to be a fashion designer and shares with me things she makes in her Teen Living class.

I don't have 82 of these blessing students, but when their classmates are annoying the mess out of me, I look at them.  They give me a wide-eyed "I'm eager to learn" look, and I'm able to continue my day with a smile on my face.




This is it for my Christmas-themed posts.  I'm spending the next several days enjoying Christmas with my loved ones.  I hope you are able to do the same.  Merry Christmas, and take time to count your blessings.

Christmas Ornaments

Jason and I first started dating at a Caribou Coffee shop in January 2007, so we had been together almost a whole year (and had gotten engaged) by the time we celebrated our first Christmas together.  That Christmas, I bought Jason a small three-foot tree that we still use today.  Our tree only holds about 10-15 ornaments, so we don't own a lot of ornaments.  As I put them on the tree, though, it's clear to me which one is my favorite ornament.

I gave this ornament to Jason our first Christmas together.  I bought two mini coffee cups and tied them together.

Front Side:

Back Side:

Seeing those coffee cups on our little baby tree always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, so yep, they're my favorite ornament.

My Demented Family

My parents have become really flexible about when "Christmas" is each year.  Now that all three of us have in-laws to balance schedules with, Christmas has sometimes been any time between the 21st through the 28th.  No matter when we celebrate, it's always a great time filled with family, presents, Christmas movies, and massive quantities of food.

Now sure, I could share pictures of sitting around the tree or playing board games, but instead I want to talk about Mom's dwarf/elf.  She made him decades ago, and each Christmas, he's been there in all his creepy glory.  He's maybe 2-3 feet high, made of papier mache, and looks like one of the seven dwarfs.  In the past few years, we've started moving him.

It all started one year with Kara.  When she was in the bathroom getting ready in the morning, and I'd place him outside the closed door so she'd see him when she came out.  She would go eat breakfast, and I'd put him in her bed.  The final straw was when we placed him in her passenger seat of her car.  She came back into the house, a bit steamed, and said, "Just tell me that you're moving him and that he isn't doing this himself!!!"

Wow, that was a fun year.  More recently (and something I've actually captured with pictures) we found something else fun to do with the dwarf.

What a "wee" little one he is!  Merry Christmas, from the Davenports!

Christmas with the Selfs

Jason and I are very happy together.  We haven't rushed into having kids because we enjoy it being just the two of us.  Want to go out tonight?  Good thing we don't need a babysitter!  Want to hike all day taking photos?  No stroller needed!  Want to be lazy bums on the couch?  No kid begging us to play with them!  That said, I have to admit, a two-person Christmas is a bit lame-o.

Last year, we woke up, drank coffee, and took turns opening our presents from each other.  We also took turns taking pictures of us opening presents.  Want to see what our Christmas is like?  Here you go...

Yup, that's Christmas at the Selfs.

Present Faces

I love opening presents one at a time.  I like to see what everyone else got, see their reactions to the things I got them, and for everyone to see what I got.  What I DON'T like is coming up with different expressions or exclamations for every present.  Here are a few of my favorite "present faces" from last year.

The "I really need my glasses" face

The "let me read all the details about this right now" face

The "I can't believe you got me this" face

The "wow this is really hard to get into" face

The "let me smile and pose with my new stuff" face

The "she's really excited" face and the "um,... what?!?" face

The "someone please explain to me what this is" face

The "oooh, fancy!" face

The "aww yeah" face and the "happy clap" face

The Key to the Davenports' Hearts...

...is definitely through our bellies.

Like so many other families, many of our traditions revolve around food.  Christmas is no different.

My mom's Thanksgiving is a sight to be seen.  I have often posted on Facebook my mom's menu, because it's downright ridiculous.  It doesn't help that she's a great cook and that everyone who comes has their favorite five dishes that they request.  Now that we've added spouses who have their own specialties, the menu has only increased!

Two different years, two awesome tables of deliciousness.

Yes, this post is about Christmas food, not Thanksgiving, but I needed to mention the food dynamics of the holiday the month before to explain our Christmas food.  Honestly, I'm not really sure what Mom makes for Christmas meals.  Is it a ham?  A turkey?  Beats me.  That's because we don't really eat "meals" over Christmas, but rather graze on snack foods every waking hour.  Out of all the food, two things stand out the most -- sausage balls and Hickory Farms.

Sausage Balls.  Oh, how I love these delicious bites of two of my favorite things -- sausage and cheese.  Many a Christmas breakfast (yes, you read that correctly) began with a paper plate of heated sausage balls being passed around the table.  These were our "appetizers" while waiting for Daddy to slice the Hickory Farms summer sausage.

Hickory Farms.  I always looked forward to the first December trip to the mall in Greenville, because that's when we would buy Hickory Farms.  We always bought one (or two!) large summer sausages, a few cheese balls (usually the sharp cheddar and the garden vegetable, sometimes the portwine), and the sweet hot mustard.  I can't begin to think of how many crackers of Hickory Farms I've had in my lifetime.

Jason claims that my love affair with HF is based on memory rather than actual taste.  I disagree, that processed food is delicious!  That isn't to say that some HF is disgusting (avoid ALL of their gift boxes or any cheese that looks like a brick... blech!), but what I remember eating was mighty tasty!

My holiday traditions have changed over the years.  I'm usually not at my parents' house on Christmas morning.  I'm in "people clothes" rather than pj's when I open my presents now.  But some things never change.  When I eat sausage balls at a church party or whimper a bit as I pass the Hickory Farms kiosk in the mall, my mind immediately goes to those Christmas morning breakfasts.... and my stomach growls.

Wrapping (wicky wicky)

To explain the title, I have a really hard time during the Christmas season hearing the word "wrapping" and not thinking of a dj scratching a record during a rap song (wicky wicky!).

Here's an example of my (lots of time on my hands, pre-having-a-job) wrapping.

Here's an example of Jason's, um, unconventional wrapping.  Wanna guess what this present was?

And on a slightly-different note, I want to brag on my parents' dog, Charley.  He's 16 years old this year, and in his 16 years, he's become quite the expert on unwrapping gifts.

He actually holds down the present with his paws and gently pulls off the paper with his teeth.  It's crazy to watch!  Then again, he's not always perfect, and he doesn't always stick with presents addressed to him...

Season of Giving

Christmas is the season of giving.  Jason and I have a few charities and causes that we give to year-round, and I wanted to share them with you.

Campus Crusade for Christ
I first joined Crusade my second year of college, and it made a large impact in my life.  It brought me closer to God, helped me better understand the Bible, and made me more knowledgeable about what I believe and why I believe it.  It also brought me two of my dearest friends (Melody and Gretchen, both of whom I met through Crusade).  It opened up an opportunity for me to go on a mission trip to Ocean City, Maryland, which was a life-changing summer for me.

One of the best parts of that summer was meeting these two awesome ladies, Kirstin and Renee.  Their lives were changed by Crusade, too, so much that they decided to join staff with Crusade.  They wanted to help change other college students' lives.

They are a large reason Jason and I give to Campus Crusade.  I think it's awesome what they do, and I like to help in my own way.

ALS Association
In 2009, our friend Stuart noticed muscle weakness in his arm and went to the doctor.  His doctor diagnosed him with some form of motor neuron disease.  One possibility was ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), a 100% fatal disease that kills nerve cells and deteriorates muscle tissue.  Thankfully, Stuart has not actually been diagnosed with ALS, but this whole situation made Jason and I more aware of the disease and the people affected by it.

Since then, we have participated with Stuart and his friends and family in the Walk to Defeat ALS.  We raised money both in 2010 and 2011 to help families dealing with ALS.  Every little bit helps.

Cancer Foundations:
Jason and I give in several ways to foundations fighting cancer.  The main cause we give to is 24 Hours of Booty, a 24-hour bike ride as part of the LIVESTRONG Foundation.  My sister-in-law Jodi (a cyclist) participates in this ride every year because she lost her grandmother to cancer when she was 13.  I like to give to this cause not only because of Jodi, but because cancer stole two of my grandparents before they ever met any of their grandchildren.

We're not the only people who have been affected by cancer.  Here's a picture of Jodi's jersey one of the years she rode.  She asked people to give her names of loved ones who had been affected by cancer.  All I can say is wow...

This Christmas season, consider giving to a cause near and dear to your own heart.  Every little bit can make a big impact.

Snow!!!!

We all dream of a White Christmas, don't we?  We imagine waking up Christmas morning to a fresh blanket of snow, untouched and pristine.  We imagine standing by a window, sipping a mug of hot cocoa, and watching the snowflakes gently falling from the sky.

Last year, we got our wish.  Let me tell you, for people that travel from one end of the state to the other end at Christmas, snow is not that welcome friend we all envision.  It's actually quite a nuisance.

 Christmas 2010, Part 1 -- Nebo:
It all started pleasantly.  We were excited to have a white Christmas in Nebo.  After presents, Jason and I went out to play in the snow and (of course) take photos.

smooch!

Jason threw snowballs at me.  I'd like to say I was too dignified to retaliate.  Honestly,  I tried to hit him, but my "throws like a girl" arm couldn't get them half the distance between us.

Jason remained untouched, while I looked like this.

Christmas 2010, Part 2 -- Back to Raleigh:  As the snow started to pick back up, Jason and I knew we needed to get on the road, or we would be stuck in Nebo.  What usually is a 3.5hr drive turned into a 4.5hr drive of constant snow, windshield wipers on high, occasional periods of slowing to 15mph on the interstate, and one tense driver.

The next morning, we were supposed to head to Jamesville.  The weather had other things in mind.

Hmm, are our cars in there somewhere?

We hadn't planned on being in Raleigh for the holidays, so we literally had no food.  We walked to the grocery store to pick up some supplies.

Yay for frozen pizza!

Christmas 2010, Part 3 -- Jamesville: We finally made it to Jamesville a day later.  With the exception of a couple of bad ice patches, the road was pretty clear.  After we "did Christmas," Jill, Jodi, Jason, Sydney, and I once again played in the snow.

Four people and a dog

Sydney, Jodi, and Jill

More snow pictures, this time on the other side of the state

Does this saga mean I hate snow?  Not at all!  I love the look of snow, playing in the snow, and (best of all) the prospect of having a snow day off from school!  Does this mean that I'm not keen on having snow at Christmas?

Yeah, I guess it does.