Friday, December 29, 2006
Worth the drive
Eliana went with Carmi to work this morning. Our plan was then for me to drive to Charlotte, meet the two of them for lunch and bring Eliana home.
I made it to Charlotte by 12:45 and waited in the lobby of Carmi’s building for my two favorite girls to come down. As I stared out lobby glass and watched the activity of business downtown, my ears soon picked up a faint, “Daddeeeee!” The voice was made faint by distance but there was still no denying who owned that beautiful voice. I turned around to see Eliana running towards me as fast as those little legs would carry her. All the while, she’s yelling “Daddy!” every dozen steps or so with a big smile on her face. Her momentum wouldn’t let her slow down. She ran into my arms at full-speed and almost knocked me to the floor but I managed to steady myself.
I really don’t like going to Charlotte but that greeting and hug was absolutely worth the drive!
We ate lunch at a Chinese restuarant and this was the fortune in my fortune cookie:
It’s time for these fortunes to come true.
{extended}Thursday, December 28, 2006
10 things I’ve enjoyed about Christmas vacation
This has been the first year in quite a long while that I’ve been able to take off the entire week of Christmas and then some. I’ve been home since Thursday, December 21 and don’t go back to work until Tuesday, January 2.
Carmi asked me tonight if I am enjoying being Mr. Mom this week and I replied, “Absolutely!”. Her question prompted me to list 10 things I’ve enjoyed about Christmas vacation thus far:
- Sleeping later than usual. I’m normally up at 6:00 am during the work week so sleeping late for me means getting out of bed by 7:00 or 7:30. Rarely do I sleep until 8:00.
- Reading. I heard good reviews about Billy Graham’s latest - and probably last - book entitled The Journey: Living by Faith in an Uncertain World
so my mom gave it to me for Christmas. I have been reading the book in the morning quiet before Eliana gets up.
- Turning off the television. We watch very little of the tube anyway (excluding FOX News and the Travel Channel).
- Visiting with staff at church. We all get along very well and they can be such an encouragement. It’s nice having time to sit, chat and watch someone else work.
- Entertaining Eliana. Eliana’s preschool has been closed the entire time that I’ve been off. Loved, loved, loved the extra time with our girl.
- Watching a favorite movie. We usually try to catch a good holiday movie at the theater. In the past, we’ve seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia. This year there was not a particulary good movie to see so we watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on DVD at home. Eliana gave it to mommy for a Christmas present.
- Having our families together. Carmi’s immediate family is in the Charlotte area so we don’t have to travel far to see them. My sisters live out-of-state but always come to mom’s for the holidays.
- Eating. Don’t really think I need to expound on this one. A year’s membership to the YMCA would have been a very valuable and practical gift!
- Cleaning. Yeah, that’s right…real men clean. There’s not much around the house that I don’t mind doing and it’s quite satisfying to keep the place picked up. Just ignore the clothes baskets next to my side of the bed for a few days after the laundry is done.
- Stalking adoption websites. It’s that time of the month when referrals are usually announced. Will referrals speed up? Slow down?
{extended}