2009...

Well, it is the last day of the year. And unlike some, I'm not much on reflecting back on all the details (aside from in my yearly Christmas letter). The truth is, I get through yet another year in this century and sigh in relief. I made it!!! WHEN is Christ coming back???? Never soon enough, it seems.

Funny to think that a decade ago, we wondered if we would even make it into the 21st Century. Well, we have. And, as in any other decade, we have all gone through ups and downs. I've had some awesome things happen over the last decade of my life. But on the flip side, it is has been the very worse decade of my life. Teenagers think they have a hard life - wait til they hit their 20s!

So depending on how I feel (which is a bit tired today), I could shout and parade about all the wonderful things 2009 has brought me. Or I could rant and rave about the hard times. We'll just keep it safe: the Lord is faithful. Yet another has proven that over and over again.

Goals for 2010? I'm not much on that sort of thing either. When you live a life full of moves, you don't even know where you'll be before the end of the year let alone what you'll be doing. I have great hopes that turning 30 in two months will be a joy and not a tragedy. Not to mention that I hope that the start of my 4th decade on earth is a vast improvement over the last one. But I'm not taking any bets. Let's just say I have one goal: survival.

But no matter what 2010 brings, I do know one thing. God is faithful. He loves me. He wants what is best for me. While I hope that means a place to live where it is cold, mountainous, snowy, full of trees with a career as a great writer...whatever it is I know I can get through it. For my God NEVER changes.

Christmas Holidays

So, it's been a while since I've even looked at my blog. Well, not even a week but it feels like a while. That's because I've hardly looked at a computer except to check my e-mail maybe once a day, look around at a few things, and watch some movies late into the night. And it's all because I am enjoying my Christmas holidays...which will all end tomorrow.

I arrived home last Wednesday. I got to the airport in Dallas with plenty of time to spare, so I did a little bit of work on my laptop and then read. The flight took off on time and landed a bit early - quite smoothly. Mom and Dad met me at the airport and out we walked into beautiful 30-something degree weather. So much more Christmasy than 70-something!

That night I got to sleep in my own spacious bedroom, in my own bed, under my own quilts, surrounded by my own purple walls and a thousand books. It was glorious! The next morning I awoke late, grabbed breakfast and went off to learn racquetball from my dad and siblings. It took a minute to get use to the idea of the game, but how hard can bouncing balls off walls be? Although I'm sure there is a lot of strategy to this game, I'm not there yet. But it is fun!

Christmas Eve Day didn't consist of much. I hung most of my ornaments on our huge Christmas tree and set up my Christmas village and carousel in my room. But there's just something about doing all this by yourself that isn't quite right. Guess that comes with the growing up territory. But the traditional family meal was fun. It's nice to be surrounded by all my siblings and not have to worry about the meals.

Christmas Day, sadly, was not white. (While it was in Texas - what is wrong with that picture?) But it was still fun, full of gifts, we woke up early and went to bed late full of good food, games, and laughter.

The next day it snowed. Most of the day. Lightly so it didn't amount to much more than a couple of inches. But it is so lovely!!!!! Snowed much of Sunday, too, so the world is white and beautiful. The temperatures are cold. I've worn my sweaters, and wool, and coats. Letting me go home might have been a mistake....

I have spent my days doing puzzles, playing games, watching movies, scrapbooking a few pictures, playing racquetball, eating much more than I should, staying up and sleeping in, and generally doing nothing important. Siblings tease and get on each other's nerves. Dad frequents his new find - a drive thru coffee shop - every time we're in town. Mom cooks up delicious meals. And tomorrow it all comes to an end.

Ah, well. All good things must come to an end. Life must go on. But thank God for the times of rest He does allow us.

Indiana....that's where I'm going!

Fairy Tales

Last night I went with a friend and her younger brothers to see The Princess and the Frog. Some things you simply never outgrow. And although it had its usual talking animals, witty dialogue and imaginary license; it also made me think.

I grew up listening to and reading fairy tales. The first movie I remember seeing was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Now fairy tales are so called for very good reason. Obviously, they are not real. No one has a fairy godmother that makes a coach from a pumpkin. Young ladies do not go around literally spitting out jewels or disgusting insects. People don’t change into animals or vice versa. And not every “Prince Charming” in the world has twinkling eyes, great teeth and looks like he works out in a gym every day.

But fairy tales do have morals. Have you noticed that? I’m not talking about life lessons like Aesop’s fables. I’m talking about what use to be the standard: marriage, sacrifice, hard work, selflessness and bad people who get their just punishment. In a fairy tale, lessons are learned. If someone is selfish, they learn to be selfless. And if someone does evil, they get punished. We all know most “princesses” start out doing manual labor, but have you noticed that the princes don’t sit around on a throne all day? And all fairy tales end with marriage – not living together until who knows what.

One of things I noticed about The Princess and the Frog is the rings. If you watch it, notice them. Tiana’s parents wear wedding rings. After Tiana and Naveen are married, note the rings on their fingers. And there isn’t any question about marriage. Naveen falls in love with Tiana, and there’s a very sweet part with his attempted proposal and the ring he makes – even though he’s a frog. Lottie is going to marry her prince, whoever he is. And Naveen will marry Lottie if that’s what it will take to get Tiana what she wants. Aladdin marries Jasmine. Belle marries the Beast. Cinderella marries Prince Charming.

And what about the other lessons fairy tales bring that don’t seem to be taught in this world anymore? Naveen, at first a selfish prince/frog who only wants to have fun, becomes willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Tiana’s. Lottie is willing to kiss her frog prince and yet allow Tiana to marry him because they’re friends. In Beauty and the Beast, the Beast must learn to be kind and control his temper. Cinderella suffers quietly under her stepfamily. Aurora obeys the fairy godmothers, and when Ariel disobeys she brings tragedy to more than just herself. In fact, evil is always punished. Jafar is put into a genie lamp, the Shadow Man is destroyed by the powers he thought he could control and Ursula, Malificient, and Gaston all perish.

There will always be people who declare that fairy tales are a waste of time and give children ideas that are silly and unreal. Children are more than capable of understanding the line between reality and imagination. They are also able to comprehend the lessons of friendship, sacrifice, selflessness and true love that ends in marriage which fairy tales teach. So don’t brush off yet another Disney princess story, talking animals, or a bedtime story from Grimm’s. Who knows what valuable lesson you – and your kids – might receive.

Book Review

The Christian life is full of this, that and the other. We get caught up in traditions, craft projects in Sunday School, and ten choir practices a week. Caught up in activities and theological debates, we often forget what the very core of our faith is.

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." (Mark 12:30) The essence of our faith and purpose as Christians. In his book Primal, Mark Batterson explores what it means to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And we are always in need of a fresh reminder of the basics.

Although there are sections of Mark Batterson's book I would not wholly agree with, he does a great job of bringing to the forefront of our minds the purpose of our life. A much needed reminder of what I need to be doing daily as one of God's own.

Interested in this book? Find a copy at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421319



This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Eighteen years ago, she was our Christmas present.

Green by Ted Dekker

The Circle...it does not have an end. It does not have a beginning.

But for Thomas Hunter, it feels like it will be broken. The fellowship he has enjoyed with those who also love his Elyon is tearing about - and his son is the cause. Questions are raised. Contests are challenged. Doubts assail. He must keep the Circle together, but at what cost? Will he have to sacrifice his son? The world in which he lives? Or the world in which he came from? Enemies threaten him on every side. He doesn't know which way to turn. But he knows whom he must trust. Elyon. Surely his God will be gracious. Surely his God will be victorious.

Green is my introduction to the Circle series - and a Circle it is. I found the book confusing. It played with my mind. I couldn't find the lines between reality and...reality? While Mr. Dekker can truly spin a story, I did not enjoy the confusion I often had over the fine line between the two worlds he has created. But I did appreciate the reminder of what a unique creation the circle is - no beginning and no end, just like its Creator.

Interested in this book? Check it out! http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595542884&title=Green&author=Ted-Dekker

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

This past Saturday my friend Jenny and a new friend, Sherri, visited the Gaylord Texan. We had a blast seeing the ice show, wondering around the corridors and delighting in all the decorations. It was truly a fun way to spend an afternoon!

The Gaylord Texan all lit up!

Inside...

Jenny, Sherri and a long horn. (Sherri is trying to teach Jenny how to pose...)

Gingerbread Cowboy, Cowgirl and Cowdog - yes, they're real.

Cowboy Santa. (Why does Texas have to be different?)

The nativity carved in ice - amazing!!!!

All the Whos in Who-ville better watch out!

He's a mean one - Mr. Grinch!

Great Kids Books

Stories aren't just for entertaining - they should teach a lesson. When kids start asking "Who invented Christmas?", "Is Jesus or Santa more important?", "Do I have to love him? He just hit me," and "Does God love everybody?"; it's time to pull out the greatest stories of all times. Yes, God loves everybody. And that is why He invented Christmas.

God Gave us Love and God Gave us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren are two wonderful little stories all about a curious little polar bear asking all kinds of questions about love and Christmas. Children of all ages will adore the whimsical illustrations, and parents and grandparents will enjoy the lessons the little polar bear is taught by his own mother and grandfather.

Interested in these books? Check them out!

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074471

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400071753

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

A Treasured Book Review

By nature, humans are collectors. Some more than others. I'm not a huge collector, but I do have a few things. As a kid, I collected pencils of all shapes and sizes. I had a box full of "friends" (aka: Fisher Price Little People). My Little Ponies, Strawberry Shortcake, friendship bracelets. Now I have collections of M&M things, Disney's Beauty and the Beast things, and a few carousels. But mostly books. Hundreds of books.

We collect things we like and treasure. I would never think to start a collection of dried flowers. I don't like them. Nor do I care for bubblegum wrappers or scraps of wrapping paper. I horde books because I love them. I love to read them, and smell them, and admire how nicely they sit in perfect rows on my shelves. Simply put, I treasure them.

God also treasures things that belong to Him. Which is everything: rocks, trees, mountains, the cattle on a thousand hills. And us. Especially us.

Treasured by Leigh McLeroy is a book that reminds us how much we are treasured by our Heavenly Father. A simple story, it is beautifully written. Not deep or theological, no, but thought provoking. So many of the words recalled to my mind how much God has done for me, is doing for me, and will do for me. How much I am loved!

So while I added yet another book to my collection, I also remembered another collection I have stored in my heart: the memories of my Heavenly Father at work in my life and His love for me.


Interested in buying this wonderful book? Check it out at http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074815.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Snapshots of Thanksgiving

As promised, here are some snapshots from our week of Thanksgiving. It was a grand success, lots of fun, and even though wearing t-shirts and capris in late November is totally wrong - the weather was pleasant.

My cousin Candy and her fiance Matt

Grandpa and Uncle Ed, who is Grandpa's cousin - see if you can figure that out.

Left to right: Boo (Aunt Diane), Uncle Lorun, Aunt Jacque and Uncle Ed

Success!!!! My first turkey. It tasted as good as it looked.

The oldest and youngest of the Sturm cousins: me and Zak (who is 20 1/2 years younger)

My Huffman cousins: Candy, Alex and Hannah

Let the Holidays Begin!

Well, the first of our guests arrived last night. My cousin Candace (aka: "Candy") and her fiance Matt arrived safely around 6 in the evening. We ate dinner and then sat around and chatted. Candy is forever entertaining. She hates silence, so she fills it. And she talks about just about everything under the sun. Her fiance is a bit more quiet (thankfully!), but he carries on a fine conversation. And he's quite intelligent but not in a, "Oh, you're talking about butterflies? Well, let me tell you everything I know about them - and, believe me, I'm the worlds greatest genius on that subject" like some guys I know. Probably comes with graduating in a few weeks with a degree in construction engineering.

As a working girl, I had to get to bed early last night and get up early this morning, so I didn't spend a great deal of time with them. I'm not sure how tonight will go. The rest of "the gang" arrives which means my aunt and uncle, Boo (real name Diane) and Ed, with Candy's younger sisters Alex and Hannah (ages 19 and 15, respectively). Should be a thrilling night - but I'm going to try very hard to get bed at a decent hour for I still have to wake up early to go to work one more day.

But then the holidays will begin. Lots of cooking, but lots of eating and fun. My aunt, uncle and cousin who live nearby will join us on Thursday (Jacque, Lorun and 9-year-old Zak). Candy and Matt like to play Scrabble. Hooray! Out will come my Scrabble board for the first time since its move south. And I intend to teach my cousins to play Hand and Foot. Who knows what else we'll find to get into? But I'll keep you posted. With pictures, too!

Does Bigger Mean Better?

A Texas acorn.

What is a restful weekend? Who knows exactly. Haven't had one of those since I moved to Texas. I certainly don't come upon Saturdays and face boredom like I used to. Can't say I've had a boring moment since I got here.

But this weekend was great - and greatly needed. Work has been a zoo for the past two weeks. Names, numbers, to-dos all run together in my head. I don't know if I'm coming or going - who's died or who's still living. I've been on the run so much, I sit in bed at night to read and have no idea what the words in front of me really mean. I think I hate that the most. Losing my ability to read and comprehend has got to be the end of the world.

But on Saturday I had plans to go out to a house in the middle of nowhere to visit old friends who live there. Their oldest daughter, although nearly 7 years younger than I, and I have corresponded over the years mostly on account of our love for writing. So I drove out to the country, sat on a front porch, and did nothing but chat about writing, books, and whatever for hours. In between, her six younger brothers and sisters ran in and out to join the conversation or tell me about the chickens, cats, neighbors, and whatever else runs through the mind of kids.

Maybe it was the doing nothing. Maybe it was the lovely day. Maybe it was being with a friend. Maybe it was being with a large family with a baby brother who talks as much as my baby brother. I don't know. But I got back to Denton and felt rested. By then it was five in the afternoon, but I ran an errand, baked pumpkin muffins and banana bread, washed my sheets and towels, and then sat down to enjoy a movie. Production on top of rest!

The next couple of weekends are going to be busy. Thanksgiving is on the way and then the guests arrive. When its all over and I'm exhausted, I've got to remember to take another Saturday and do nothing...well, nothing with a good book!

My Life Lately

With blogging on books and other odd things, I haven't blogged much about my life as late here in Texas. Or maybe I just haven't had time...

Work has been a zoo. More than one new patient every day for the last two weeks. As if the patients weren't just names and numbers to me before, now I can't even keep the names or numbers straight. But neither can anyone else.

I still play tennis twice a week. It's nice to go out and swing a racquet around. Don't know if I'm improving or not, but it helps relieve stress and I get to know another set of people far removed from nurses, papers and telephones ringing.

Spend some time with friends. Not as much as people seem to think I ought, but my books are my best friends. If I have a quiet moment, I love to spend time with them. Still, one of my closest friends and I walk once a week. I've met another friend for coffee or ice cream a couple of times. Surprise another old friend for her birthday. So, I do have a social life. It just isn't 24/7.

Yes, I keep reading. Never as much as I want. The pile of books always gets taller before it gets shorter. But that's okay. And I write. I'm almost finished with the book I've been plugging away at. Two more chapters! And then? Umm...something that takes a little less research!

And there is a lot to be done for the holidays! For Thanksgiving I have an aunt, uncle, three cousins and the eldest cousin's fiance coming for the week. And then there will be another aunt, uncle and cousin coming for the day. A crowd...but I'm use to a crowd. And I'm having fun playing hostess, although I still have a lot to learn. But at least cooking for that many people is second nature. It's cooking for just Grandpa and I that is a challenge!

Fall has yet to arrive in Texas. Most of the leaves have changed colors. I stomped through them in the yard, which I love to do. But sometimes it isn't quite right when its warm enough out to go to the beach. Next Monday is suppose to get cold - if you call 60 cold. Which Texans do. They act like a blizzard is coming. If only it would get cold enough for a blizzard...

And so that is my life as late. Nothing abnormal. Nothing thrilling. Just everyday life. But that's just as well.