welcome 2013

Ah! Love love love this picture. Its from my friend's friend's flickr page :)
photo credit to Samantha at Samantha Stock Photography

2012

filled 3 journals with words. Lots of words.

lived (long-term) in 3 different places.

posted 78 blog posts
read 21 books
got my drivers license
travelled to Europe
learned to drive a manual transmition well
won 3rd place in the nation with my awesome volleyball team
bought my first album off of itunes

and I've become older.

Life is a maze, where all of the walls continually change. 

Enjoy every phase, every moment. Make it all worthwhile. I look back on 2012 with many happy memories, many wonderful times, and many moments of gratitude to God for the life He's given me. I don't want to end the year with a long nostalgic post. Nostalgia is nice but lets look ahead. 2013 awaits. Full of open doors, new days and moments to treasure. Be ever grateful.

"Aim for the moon. For even if you fail, you'll land among the stars." -Clement Stone.

I wish you all of God's blessings in the new year. Have a happy happy new year!

Christmas Break

Its been wonderful. As I put the last of my school books on the shelf, I stood there and smiled at the feeling that action gave me. I felt like Maria in the first scene of The Sound Of Music, "The hills are alive!" I might have even spun around with my arms spread wide a few times. Its an excellent feeling, so excellent. It was purely wonderful to have a lot of free time for a little while. I do love school. But its always nice to have a break.
This Christmas break has consisted of many different aspects for me. Room Re-Arranging has been a great pass-time, I'm finally set on an arrangement for the new year. Chai Tea lattes on cold lonely days, love those lattes. Watching disney movies with my brother. I realized that I laugh more when I watch the movies with him, his laugh is contagious to me. "Hakuna Matata!" Bought a 1940's typewriter, Dad fixed it up for me (it will get its own post in due time.) Spent time with friends and family who I love, very much. Walked my sweet Sammy dog, everyday, down my favorite sidewalk. Sang Disney princess songs, because its so fun to sing them like my life depends on it. Spent way too much time thinking. Its a blessing and a curse. Spent way too much time on Pinterest. It is the perfect mindless action.
Christmas break isn't over yet! More different aspects await me. :) Lets end this with a Sound of Music line.

"my heart wants to sing every song it hears. Every song that it hears"

Les Miserables. Incredible.

I had the privilege to go see this incredible movie last night. It was incredible. I loved all the fond memories (follow link to another post) it brought back of when I was in Les Miserables. A wonderful aspect of being in a musical is that all of the music in engrained in my memory. Even though I haven't listened to the music for two years all the words came flooding back to my mind. Beautiful words. I am so happy to remember them all.

"Do you hear the people sing?

Lost in the valley of the night

it is the music of a people who are climbing to the light

for the wretched of the earth there is a flame that never dies

even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise!

We will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord

we will walk behind the plowshare

we will put away the sword 

the chains will be broken and all men will have their reward!

Will you join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me

somewhere beyond the barricade there is a world you long to see?

Do you hear the people sing?

Say do you hear the distant drums?

it is the music that we bring when tomorrow comes!

tomorrow comes!"

Please go see this movie. You will be riveted and blissfully lost in wonder of its beautiful tale.

my tree.

My lovely spindly tree. It wouldn't be Christmas without a photo tribute to this icon of Hunter's Christmas affection.
I usually decorate this tree with bits of colored paper or yarn trimmings. This year it just stood humbly un-decorated but still lovely on my dresser. I love the afternoon sun that hits it. Casting curved, artful shadows along the other branches and the wall. It truly is striking. Striking in simplicity.

have yourself a merry little Christmas

let your heart be light

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

from the McHugh's

Alex, Lori, Hunter and Elliot

Galations 4:4

Happy Christmas Eve

This morning I woke up and ran into Elliot's room singing

"Happy happy Christmas Eve

from all of us to you

we hope you have a good day 

a Happy Christmas eve too

Hey!"

It was a jolly way to start the day (that is the Christmas Eve revised restaurant happy birthday song). 

I've been trying to think of something to say that would make a lovely Christmas post. This is the best I could do, lyrics:

It came to pass that Joeseph was the noblest of men 

with a woman on a donkey on their way to Bethlehem

and I wonder whether either were aware enough that day

to know their child would bring a kingdom 

and the old would come and pass away

Yes, it came to pass that Joeseph was the noblest of men

with a women on a donkey on their way

to Bethlehem

From the song:

It came to Pass - Andrew Peterson

Isn't that a beautiful truth? 

The child would bring a kingdom and the old would come and pass away

 Merry Christmas Eve everyone :)

the simple joy,

of finding one of my childhood pleasures. This is my well-worn, passed down from earlier generations, tea set which seems to have shrunk in my hands. I'm Alice, in Wonderland. Am I growing or is everything around me shrinking?

:)

Behold the Lamb of God

 

Behold The Lamb Of God 

Presented by Andrew Peterson

You need this album. Please go buy it for yourself right now. Our family has enjoyed this beautiful masterpiece for over 3 years, seen the concert 3 times and have all the lyrics memorized. We are big fans.

Behold the Lamb of God soundtrack is just incredible. Andrew Peterson wrote this as a whole new album of Christmas music all telling the wonderful "true, tall tale of the coming of Christ." Its wondrous. The lyrics glow in comparison to most Christmas song lyrics, the musicians are incredible and the over-all aroma is just breathtaking. I get chills at the concert. :) Now as you can see, I'm quite biased so please go listen to it for yourself and be forever changed!

Can be bought from:

- Rabbit Room 

- Amazon

- itunes

(these are only the ones I know of. There is probably more.)  

Mail.

I wonder what its like for the people who work for the post office.
Do they write letters? I wonder if they've ever had the feeling of pouring so much of your thoughts and emotions onto sheets of paper, taking the time to emphasize feelings with certain defined strokes of your handwriting, and then mailing it off into a mysterious boxes which pass it onto unknown hands of transfer. Do the unknown hands know what the feeling of really writing a letter is like?
When putting a letter or package into the mail you give it up, hoping that it was arrive at the destination you choose, sometimes thoughts that the whole process could fail creep into your mind. But you quickly push those thoughts away, because what would you do if that did happen? Nothing. Your completely powerless over such an occurrence.Thus, I mail letters and parcels in hope, because how else would I enjoy the process.
One day I am going to ask an official mail person if they write letters. Maybe they will know the feeling. I sure hope so.

This time of year, I don't like that saying its quite...unappreciative, referring to 'this time of year' as a disease or as an inevitable event to be dealt with, I will use a different phrase! At Christmas time, the post office is busy. Very busy. Our neighborhood postman said he has worked for the post office for 10+ years and he's never seen as many parcels as he has this year. Wow! That is a big statement. Similar to the time I brought my used math book to my first math class and the teacher, who had been teaching this class for 15+ years, said she'd never seen my book before. Ahahahaha! At first I felt lame, then I just laughed. My book is the true definition of vintage. Anyways! back to the post office. I went to the post office recently, all my days are blurring together, to drop off letters and the drive through drop box was jammed full. Over-flowing full. So you know what I had to do. Get out of my car after I had to park it. And walk in. Oh goodness. I felt so rigorous afterward! I had conquered the post office. Even at Christmas time when you had to walk in.

 My best wishes to your mailing this season and into the future. :)

I was playing around with the 'picture control' on my computer web cam. Fun times. Don't notice the mismatched pillows and clothes on my bed in the background. Not much matches in my room, I could say the same for what goes on in my head too. I still can't get rid of the glare on my glasses. Bummer bummer. I'll figure it our someday. Now off to bed.

The air feels golden this morning.

Golden air makes the perfect setting for wistful thoughts.

Wistful thoughts make an earnest curiosities journal entry.  

cedar wreath

 With the extra branches from our tree I made a wreath for the front door, red bow and all. This was the first wreath I've ever made, one step closer to Martha Stewart level floral decorations. Yes!

Happy Birthday Sammy!

Today is my puppy's birthday. He is 13. We're both getting so old! Look at us in this picture, we're both so little and young. 

 

Sammy is the sweetest. He wants to be with me even when I'm grumpy. He always gives me a happy greeting. Even when I'm "busy" he wants to be as physically close to me as possible. He misses me like crazy. He'll follow me even when I tell him to stay. And his face is so irresitably cute.

I'm so grateful for my Sammy boo. 

Happy Birthday!

Christmas tree

Our actual Christmas tree

This is the tree we picked out! Haha :) Just kidding.

 Presuing a Christmas tree farm is a little different in Houston than it was for us in Omaha. So far differences would be; a longer drive, warmer non-snow climate (it was 85 degrees today..) and hurricane dammaged trees (wasn't that hurricane a long time ago?). But, alas we DID find a tree. I tree with a lot of short, fat and sparse character. Pictures of it will come later. :)

The picture above takes place riding in the back of the baby truck around the farm. 

 Look at the nice color variation of this vine.

And then I rode home in my baby truck through the country with the windows down. In the light of the setting sun. Lovely time for sure.

A picture from tonight with the E

time enjoyed, over thanksgiving

My computer is fixed now!

Happy December everyone! Even though its December I'm going to post my Thanksgiving trip pictures. 

St. Louis suburbia:

 this is James

 and this is Jackson catching his frisbee

 Self portraits in the leaves

Illinois country:
The field and forest that I spent an afternoon musing in with my Sammy. 

 I'm a tree! ha :) 

(my bright blue leggings don't fit in with the fall forest coloring. Oh well!)

 I loved the golden light. It fit the feel of the day so well. Underneath the golden light all the dying plants of fall seemed so alive, and beaming with vivification (syn: vigor). Yet they are dying. Wasting away with the winter season which over-takes them.
This was a perfect thought to ponder in the field absorbing crisp fall air.

 Independence, Missouri:
Grandpa took us to a complex of businesses and rooms in a huge cave. Inside the depth of the cave Rachael showed us an underground railroad. So cool! I felt like I was living in The City of Ember.

 Rachael in the car, reflected in the golden fall light.

 The winding park trail and creek where we spent twilight exploring together.

The End.

Birds on a wire...

...at sunset.

 Relaxing in the cool air in a sparse chatty line.

 Until a mysterious girl with a camera scared the jumpy ones away.

 This one stayed. All by itself.

These pictures tell a story without need for words. But its fun to add my version of the events.  :)