I goofed..

This picture should have been my last picture in the last post... as I was trying to go in order as everything happened. Because of this, I was not going to rewrite that whole post just to insert one more picture. ANYWAYS, after the Bible study Christmas party... I had at least 2 hours of wrapping Christmas gifts that needed to get done. I've been so busy getting to this point, making sure I had everything I needed and that everyone was pretty even as far as total pricing goes.

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Anyways, I did spend about 2 hours wrapping gifts, and then got together all my coworkers gifts to have ready to take in to work, seeing some arent working Christmas day. Here, below is ALL my Christmas gifts that I bought for my family. Mom has always been big in color coordinating gifts either with wrapping paper or gift tags... her system has definitely rubbed off on me=)

Wrapping gets to be very tiring after awhile,

so Im very glad I have just about everything done.

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Tonight while eating at the party, we had some discussions about everyone's traditions for Christmas day. What would a Christmas day be for you? Are you a early riser, just to rush down and tear into your gifts... before the day ever really gets started? I say this.. because several at the Bible study seem to run their Christmas as such. I seemed to be the most different...
Do you balance everyones total gift prices- Ex: Spending $15.00 or $100.00 on each person /or amount of gifts- Ex: If a person has 5 gifts, everyone has 5 gifts.. regardless of price.
Again, I say this... because I learned some at the Bible study go by # of gifts, rather than price.
It's all very interesting to say the least...

Here is my traditional Christmas day:
Growing up, it was always a BIG deal not to see whats under the tree before we all can go in together. I mean, if we had to use the restroom during the night... mom or dad had to be woken up to walk down with us as we were either blindfolded or shielded from looking. Once morning came, I mean 9 ish or so... mom and dad would come get us out of bed.. take us to the kitchen to eat breakfast together. All the while... we wished we could move this time along. When breakafast was over with and cleaned up, we got dressed and then all head into the living room to have the Bible reading of the Christmas story and then have prayer. This would be the first time we'd see the gifts that day. While little, even the devotions seemed to drag on and on... then FINALLY.. it was time for gifts. Stockings were always handed out first and opened together. Then, all of the gifts that I bought for the family would be handed out..while I Watched each of them open their gifts. Next, All ange's gifts handed out.. for her to watch open. Finally, Ashley's gifts she had bought for the family were handed out.. From that point on.. the rest were from mom and dad.. and a few snuck in from "Santa" ( as still is the case...) Everyone would be handed 1 gift- Mom and Dad to us/ Mom and Dad to each other.. then, all would open their 1 gift. We would continue as such, for say.. what seemed like 15 to 20 more rounds. Once all was complete, clean up time was at hand... then we usually would get ready to head over to my Grandparents for Christmas dinner.. and another family Christmas in the afternoon/evening.
To this day, or at least as of last year... Ash still doesnt like seeing the gifts until she absolutely has to... she still will turn her face to avoid a peripheral peek. It's cute.

Catch up time...

Yes, I'd say it was about time for another post, seeing Im so quick to point out to others when I feel they need an update also;) So, here it is...

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Recently, I had a few consecutive days off & filled my time with some of these wonderful activities. Mind you, last year... it was attempted on 3 different occasions to go skiing and due to wind storms/ ice storms or lack of snow period.. skiing was out of the question! So, this year...skiing became one of the first activities attempted, in hopes of going. YES, first try... the trip was made and down the slopes we went. I'll be the first one to admit, I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to this sport. In 4th grade we took lessons through school for a period of time, and then I hadn't gone until after high school. Since then, I've been shown the basics-learning how to stop, fish taling down a slope(whatever the actual terminology is, Im not sure) shifting weight, etc. Needless to say, I spent a great deal of time on the bunny hill before building enough courage to take a chairlift to the next level. What makes it even harder for me is the unknown. When you've never been to this mountain before... you wonder, what are the trails exactly like? What am I up against? Where are the drops? How sharp are the curves? Etc. Anyways, it was the perfect day weatherwise for an event as such. Can't say I always stayed on my feet. During ONE of the several times down, I felt like I was on my bottom/or my stomach more than my skis.. I landed in briar like weeds, leaving me feeling helpless for the moment. Another time, I must have flipped off the trail sliding down the bank, before catching myself. Anyways... I walked away without any broken bones, so all went well. They say, in order to get good at something, sometimes you have to fall to learn. That is, unless you call yourself perfect... but we wont go there.

Afterwards... it was dinner time=)

Of all the years Ive lived here in the Albany area... I had never been to the Capital Holiday lights in the park. Sure, Ive driven by... and thought it would have been something different to try, but never had. This year, I was determined to go... in a horse drawn carriage throughout the park. What beautiful sights... of lights.

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The next day, winter truly hit here in NY... with 10-15inches of snow. Winter wonderland was seen all around us. Needless to say, that didnt stop one from going Christmas shopping for a bit=)

That evening.... Melodies of Christmas was at Proctor's. It was truly an exciting moment for me.

Festive colors seen all around with people dressed up, Christmas carols sung, etc. What a wonderful production. Being in the medical field, I felt honored to attend. All money raised through buying tickets was going to help Children with blood disorders/cancer at Albany Medical Children's Hospital. After working there for 2 years, it was a joy to know I was in some sort of way helping others through AMC.

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BIBLE STUDY CHRISTMAS PARTY

When: 12/23/08

Everyone contributed food to share together. There was pizza, chips/dip/salsa, pizza bread, cheesecake, and drinks.

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After dinner, we spent some time in God's word and then started wrapping presents.

If you recall in a previous post, I mentioned that our group has a mission to help others in need.

We originally were going to take on a whole family, but those plans fell through. So, this year.... we decided to take in one of my patients I had from work. Without going into great detail of this pt's situation... his once love for high speed motorcycle racing.. has turned into dashed hopes of ever riding again. A paraplegic he has become.. and its been a VERY difficult road these past several months. While he was my patient, we had some very in depth conversations of God. Tears would roll down his cheeks, as he questioned God.. We as a group have carried a burden for him.. and this is why we, as a group have tried reaching out to him this Christmas season.

We bought bath towels, a hand towel, $25.00 Cheesecake Factory GC, $15 FYE GC, bed sheets, and a Microsoft Arc mouse. The towels and bedsheets were some ideas he had mentioned he could use when he gets out of the hospital.

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Last but not least, we presented Dan ( our Bible Study leader) a Christmas gift from us all. We bought this for his desk at school. ITs a combination of a digital clock/ calendar on lower left hand side, a picture, which we will insert of our group for uptop, the plaque that was engraved "C.D.C.F. 2008" which is our group name. The flip side, as seen below is a huge calculaor, which we thought would be a nice add on, seeing he is a math teacher.

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All in All, we had a nice time...

Christmas is just around the corner now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE.

Appreciate those precious moments that others may take for granted,

for we are blessed!

Decorations and Ice

With Christmas quickly upon us, I had been getting pretty anxious to get in the Christmas spirit with decorations. Christmas isn't all about a tree, lights, other decorations, & gifts, but at the same time, things like this help one to feel festive. Our family hasnt ever been one to put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Sometimes, I wonder if the tree would be up long enough to enjoy it, so this year to my suprise, after coming home from work last Monday night, through the picture window there was our new tree for this year. I say "new" because... mom decided after 15 years last year, that it was time for a new tree! There has always been one debate held every year between mom and dad. Colored lights or white lights? Personal preference is white with bows, but hey... there is more than just me here! Mom loves white and dad prefers colored. Well, as you can tell by the tree.... Dad won this year.

Just a few decorations around the house...

Take a close look at the "odd" stocking. =) This is our "little man's"

VERY OWN.

Funny thing is, come Christmas day, mom takes the stockings down and places them on the couch due to their heaviness. Rumple, is able to find his very own.. and then sits there protencting it.

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This past Thursday night, we, along with so many others were hit with a HUGE ice storm. This night , Ange and I were coming home from work late, and pretty much ran into a huge tree that had already managed to fall over across the road. We hadn't seen it until we were litterly right there.

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Here's a few shots on our property.

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AND then, I was very suprised to see this little bird next to one of our back windows. Can't say I see too many of these right around here!

Hold ME While I Cry

Ever come across a song and find yourself playing it 25 times? Well, this was one of those songs for me.... so much that I bought the CD! Thought I would share, just in case this song would be meaningful during your low times.

Twas The Month Before Christmas

I realize the importance that this poem holds, so since getting this in an email tonight, I

thought I would also post it here.

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*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!*


Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

6:3 WIN!

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Food, Food & More Food

Thanksgiving Day =

Food, food, & more food

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The day was spent in PA at the Myers' Residence with other family.

Sparing most details.. here are a few pictures.

Yes, this was MY plate.

With little room for dessert, we held off for several hours in hopes that our delicious meal would digest quickly so we could start round 2! Most sat around visiting, one person took a little nap, while some cousins watched a movie upstairs... THEN, everything was brought out again, while we made other things to add to the spead to eat....

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= ONE FULL DAY OF FOOD =)

Give Thanks Unto God

The Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, Aunt Charolette, came up with this little craft for the children. Some of the children are young enough that even this simple activity is a challenge for them. We traced each of their hands on construtiction paper, then let them color/decorate over the trace marks before cutting their hands out in the shape of turkeys.

Written in the middle is " Give Thanks Unto God. "

Even with actual Sunday school coloring sheets every other week, the children ask Ms. Aimee to help trace their hands on their papers. It's something about the simple things in life.... with children =)

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'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.'

- Ronald Reagan

Is it Friday Yet?

Anyone ever ask, "Is friday here yet?" If this week wasnt bad for anyone else, I'm glad. This week, especially at work, was extremely overwelming, full of stress, late nights, lack of sleep, etc.

I hate to complain... but I dont know how it could have been any worse. This was a week that I could NOT wait until friday.

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It was thursday morning, 7:30ish when I came out to meet mom after she returned from her first job. I had been restless all night(thinking about work) and mom mentioned I looked horrible. It was then that I started venting.. and believe me I vented. I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE. I stood there in the kitchen with tears running down my checks, shaking uncontrollably. Mom never fails to say.."Aimee, Momma told you there would be days like this." When I finally calmed down, mom told me to take a tylenol PM- yes at 7:30am and go back to bed. Needless to say, that day I didnt wake up until 1:15pm... just in time to grab lunch, a shower and head back in to work.

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I've mentioned in previous posts that nursing is very rewarding at times, and it is... but rewards aren't always granted unless hard work and somtimes stress is involved.

Overall, even though I have my VERY bad days...I wouldn't trade nursing for anything! I just feel like it somedays... =)

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So, today... Ange and I got around and headed out on the town... grabbing lunch (before Ange had to go back to work.) THEN... I started Christmas shopping. YES, I've officially started. It seems too crazy to think its almost December again. The cold weather is here and some of us have already seen snow. The multicolored lights are coming out with Christmas carols heard in the stores. Too bad it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but even still, I've started Christmas shopping.=)

Afterwards, I came home and did some much needed....
Things seemed to get put on the back burner and I couldnt let it get any worse. This in itself drives me nuts. Then... as soon as Dad came home from work... we headed to the

where they CREAMED the other team. Very intense, but well worth it.

Tuesday night was another night of Bible Study....

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We've had another faithful attendee (Trisha) that has started coming since my last Bible post, so I thought I would make an update. Her husband has come once, but since has had to work anytime we've met. The only one missing is me.. but that's ok because someone has to take the pictures. =)

I'm truly excited for what our little group has in store and the direction it is headed. We have been sharing a burden of outreach within our capital district, and our leader has officially come up with a name for our group.. "Capital District Christian Fellowship." This name incorporates a goal we all have over time to set an example throughout our Capital District by helping people less fortunate than ourselves. We're not necessarily planning on staying a small group either, but wanting to get others involved throughout the area.
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Over the Thanksgiving holiday, some of us may be heading out extra early to deliver Thanksgiving dinners to those in need, setting their tables with a delicious, hot meal
so they may also celebrate Thanksgiving too. At Christmas time, we plan on taking in some families for Christmas, wrapping gifts together and distributing them to help brighten their day. These families/ young people that we choose, we also would like to become involved in their lives to ultimately help lead them to Christ when the time is right!
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Help us pray that our group grows closer together while we share a burden to help others in need!

Here in America....In God We Still Trust

Pray For Our Nation

The Presidental Election of 2008 has offically come to a close, and without hesitation... my heart has shed some tears. Our "United States Of America" has officially been thrown to the wolves, and the "American people" are so oblivious to the fact. This is truly a moment in history, a moment I don't want to claim! How can we, as "The American People" stoop so low to offer such adoration and respect for such a individual? Where has our American dream gone to? Our Love for this country? The foundation that our forefathers built this country on?

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"Our American people" (and I hate to even say this now), have slapped our forefathers, not lightly, but very strongly, with great power in the face. This action, I am not PROUD of. If only the "American People" realized how detrimental this choice will be for our future.

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We, (or I) don't understand others decisions/choices /reasonings that were made for this election, but EVEN SO..... The GOD that I've been brought up to serve, to live my life by, IS UNDER CONTROL regardless of this election!!!!! He is our PAST, our PRESENT, and our FUTURE regardless of being pushed out of EVERYTHING. He WILL reign over ALL someday, and this is one hope we, as believers can hold onto!

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Let us not cease to pray, but continue to pray ernestly.

The first snow is officially here.....

.....Pushing fall right out

A World of Hurting People

Every week, I take time out of my schedule to watch Extreme Makeover online. Some of you may have your own opinions about these type things, so be it. Almost every episode finds me in tears, having a new enriched desire to help others in need. I realize more everyday just how blessed we are, how blessed I AM to have a roof over my head, food on the table, family support & love, friendships, etc while so many others struggle with things beyond my imagination.

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Everyday, I walk into work.. Im in touch with lives and their emotions, their families, their struggles and trials... and Im reminded of just how good God has truly blessed my life.

Im reminded of things I seem to take for granted, things so minor, but find so easily to complain about. Im reminded of all these things.

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To me, sometimes it seems like I live in this little box, secluded from all the hurtful things, hardships people face everyday. Believe me, I've thought that before.... especially when my eyes were officially opened through the medical field. You may think... Im eluding that my life is perfect, but surely & truly it isnt. Im just learning to appreciate those precious moments and blessings that others take for granted and far often, lack.... and share them with others.

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I obviously don't have the talent to build/design a home, but I can always do something to help others, starting with a smile.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIME.....
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Sometimes, we do things at such late hours (or early if you like to think it as such) because there is no other time where we can all be together. SO... after Ange and I got home from work at like 12:30am... everyone came down to celebrate Mom's birthday, except for Ash.. as she had to go back to college in the am.

Ange made the cake before work on Monday.

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WE LOVE YOU MOM!