Day ten: Indulge

As the neighbors bring over all different kinds of sweets (we haven't gotten as many as in the past... which is just fine...), I've thought about what kind of Christmas cookie I'd call my favorite. So here you have it... Mexican Wedding Cookies.


Mexican Wedding Cookies...

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

Making cookies at Christmastime just feels a little different than the rest of the year. And you can always jog them off in January...

Day nine: Laugh

This video has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas (except for that it was taken today), but I hope it'll make you laugh. I think laughter is an amazing gift, don't you?



(Marty took the video in his classroom... it's of a putt putt course he made during an off period today)

Days seven and eight: Sing

I was out in St. Louis this past weekend for Marty's 26th Birthday... my blogging wasn't a big priority while celebrating with my man.

One of the highlights of the weekend was a concert at an old old church in downtown St. Louis (we're talking mid-1800's... so cool!). The group was a 60-person choir called The National Lutheran Choir. Their voices were beautiful and it was such a gift to hear the music that Marty loves so much.

Here's a clip of the choir...



What a treat to hear such rich music this Christmas season!

I'm reminded of the angels the night Jesus was born...

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

I can imagine that the song that night was different than any song that had been heard before.

Gloria in excelsis Deo... Glory to God in the highest!

Day six: Rejuvenate

I'm thankful for this time of year and the reminders it brings... it's rejuvenating. Bring on 2010.

Day five: Remember

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I love thinking about what Christmas was like when I was a child...

I remember the "village" my mom would set up in the dining room. I'd play with the tiny people and make up stories about their tiny lives. I set that very village up just the other day so that my nieces can see the tiny people the same way I saw them years ago.

I remember decorating the tree and placing the star on top as the very last thing... with my dad's help, of course! Like any sneaky kid, I'd hunt around the tree and shake my gifts while trying to guess what I'd be getting.

I remember looking forward to Christmas at Oma's (I still look forward to that!). One year, she gave me a beautiful snow globe, but I dropped it on the tile floor, shattering it and sending glittery water everywhere. I was devastated. But Oma, the wonder woman that she is, had a spare one in her gift closet.

I remember baking cookies with my cousins. The tiny, edible silver balls were my favorite decorations to put on the gingerbread men and sugar cookie trees.

I remember playing the angel in the Christmas pagant at church. One year, I got to be a shepherd... I wore my mom's pink bathrobe and carried a big staff. I'm sure I looked like a genuine shepherd.

What are your Christmas memories?

Day four: Wise Guys

Last week at Young Life, one of the leaders talked about the Three Wise Men and how seemingly "unwise" their trip to see Jesus was. They followed a star... they dodged Herod... they left everything they knew and traveled to see something that had only been prophesied. What really stood out to me about the Wise Men were the gifts that they gave to Jesus and the symbolism behind those gifts. It was a baby shower of sorts... but one with exceptional meaning.

The first wise man brought gold. The gold signified that Jesus is a king... royalty. The wise man was acknowledging that Jesus indeed was the King of the Jews.

The second wise man brought frankincense. Frankincense was commonly used in the temple as the "fragrance of God". With the gift, the wise man said, "I believe that this baby has the aroma of God... He is God."

The third wise man brought myrrh, which was used as an embalming fluid. The myrrh signified that death would play a huge part in who Jesus was.

Knowing more about the significance of the wise men's gifts, I wonder... what is it that we're giving to Jesus? Not because we have to. But because we want to. When we seek him, we find him, and because of who he is, we honor him.

Day three: Listen

I love Christmas music. A few weeks ago I was driving to the airport to pick up Marty and I had Josh Groban's Christmas CD playing extra loud in my car. Of course I was singing extra loud, too. I love that it is played for only a small part of the year. I love when we sing Christmas carols in church. I love candlelight services with "Oh Holy Night" being played on the piano.

For some reason, this is the first year that something has hit me, and it's such an obvious thing... so many Christmas carols share the Gospel and the fact that the tiny baby was and is a huge deal.

Exhibit one. Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

...Born that men no more may die...
...Born to give them second birth...

Exhibit two. Joy to the World.

...Let every heart prepare Him room...
...No more may sins and sorrows grow...

I'm sure you're thinking, "Yes Annette, Christmas songs are about Jesus. Good job." I get that. I think what hit me the hardest is that while these words are on the radio... tv... gosh, they're just plain stuck in our heads, so many people hear them and still choose unbelief.

So this was the year that I chose to listen... to let the words set in... to be reminded to let my heart prepare Him room.

Day two: Room

Marty gave me the inspiration for today's Cheer...

The following words were those of the Lessmanns' friend, Bob. He said these things when he was close to death, but Marty remembers that as Bob spoke, his lifeless face regained color and for a moment he had energy again.

We have turned Christmas into an "I" holiday, where we worry about ourselves, what we will get everyone, how we will make the house pretty (all good things when our approach is correct), but fail to remember WHAT WE ARE PREPARING FOR. More so, WHO we are preparing, and for what reason. In the end we are preparing our hearts. Preparing to be transformed, preparing for the chance to become connected with God. And so we say, Come Quickly Lord Jesus. And when you do come, this time there will be room for you in the Inn, the Inn in our Hearts.

Day one: Prepare

My little bit of Christmas cheer today was borrowed from my friend, Cynthia.

"A voice of one calling in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" (Isaiah40:3).

Advent is the season of preparing the way-- for Christ! It's funny, we often prepare for Easter by bringing ourselves closer to the Lord through an action, or by abstaining from something... but how do we prepare for Christmas? Like, "ready your heart"; what does that even mean?

I think about Mary during Advent a lot (as you probably have recognized I generally prefer to ruminate over the actions of Christ's female followers). At any rate, Mary, during Advent is pregnant-- super pregnant. She's all of 14, 15 or 16 years old, 8+ months pregnant, and riding a donkey on really awful roads... for days. (read: pregnancy nightmare).
Mary is not only preparing physically for the birth of our Lord by going back to Bethlehem, finding a safe place, trying to sustain her physical needs, but how else has she prepared?

Mary's risked it all. Jesus was conceived "outside of marriage." It's commonplace today, but this was grounds, not only to be completely ostracized socially-- both from family, friends, and the city in its entirety, but it furthermore risked her ability to have access to freshwater, food, a "doctor" (a scary thing not to have access to when you're agreeing to carry a baby), and her opportunity to marry-- ever (since Joseph could have denied her with no consequence, and even had her put to death).

It was bold. It was gutsy. It was her everything.

How are you preparing the way of the Lord? What is the Lord putting on your heart that is risky? The Lord DEPENDS, like the infant that the Lord was at Christmas, on us entirely-- not for the kingdom, not for repentence, not for anything except our hearts; only we can surrender those. So, I encourage you all: PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD!!

The best way to spread Christmas cheer...

It's Christmastime...

...and this year it feels a little crazier than normal. Maybe it's because we have three Christmases to plan for. Maybe it's because there's so much coordinating that has to happen. Maybe it's because we have to work until the 23rd (lame), so it doesn't feel like we have much time to do all that needs to be done.

Or maybe it's because we know that this isn't the way Christmas was intended to be spent.

You know, intensely long lines to see Santa at the mall on a Sunday afternoon. Stimulation overload with half-off sales and buy-one-get-one deals. Wrapping paper out the wazoo.

I think that Christmas was meant to be simple. A reminder of our HUGE God coming down in a tiny way.

So, starting tomorrow and for the twelve days leading up to Christmas, I'm going to reflect on simplicity. I don't quite know what that'll look like... maybe I'll type up my favorite Elf quote just because it makes me laugh. But in the midst of craziness, I think it'll be good to come back to the basics and relax.

That makes me even more excited about Christmas.

Jason Mraz better watch out...

I just love this...

Alright, alright.... I'll write something new

A few people (ahem, Aunt Lori, Caley...) have told me that it's time to start blogging again. And I totally agree... it's been too long. But I have my excuses for neglecting this thing for over a month. I mean, it's hard work to travel to St. Louis once a month, have Marty come here once a month, play at church once a month, and pretend to have any time to do the things I'm supposed to do around the house (like cleaning my bathroom and staying organized). Not to mention work nearly 40 hours a week, work out a few days a week, lead Young Life twice a week, and sneak in some time for myself and the Marty man.

Alright, I'm done with that.

So, life is busy. It's what happens this time of year, anyway. Big things have happened in the past month...

• I went to California to meet little Nora Jayne. She's such a sweet baby!
• I got really sick while in California... it took me nearly a week to recover... no fun.
• I spent Thanksgiving week in St. Louis with Marty and his family. It was great to spend a whole week out there!

But really, I think the biggest thing that's happened is the decision that we made for me to move out to St. Louis early next year.

That's right, I'm moving to St. Louis! I'll be finished with my job right before Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I'll head out a few days after that. It's crazy how the whole thing worked out... and I can definitely see the Lord's hand in all of it.

While I was in St. Louis for Thanksgiving, it became very clear to me that I want to be able to live life with Marty on a daily basis, rather than rushing through weekend visits. I want to know him in that context. Plus, I really enjoy the guy, not to mention love him, and want to be with him.

So yep, January 2010... I'm off to St. Lou!

our first holiday together... thanksgiving 2009

snow day.

Winter storm warnings. Schools are closed. It's WHITE outside. We're stuck inside. It's a snow day!


I've gotten to spend the past two weekends in St. Louis. It's extraordinary to get to date my best friend. I enjoy him so much and we truly bring out the best qualities in each other.

The first weekend I was in Missouri, we went canoe camping. We floated down the Courtois River and camped on a river bank. It was my first "real" camping experience, and I loved it!

as close to a gondola ride as i'll get...

This past weekend we took a little trip to Evansville, IN. Marty's friend got married in his dad's backyard. It was an... interesting wedding.

Itinerary...

I'm in St. Louis with the Marty Man!

We're having a date night.
We're canoe camping.
We're cooking dinner.
We're going to his dad's choir concert.
We're enjoying time together.

How did I get so lucky?

sweet sixteen

...days, that is...

This little gal is a cute kid! Nora has been here for 16 days. Oma and Grandpa (my parents) are out visiting... I can't wait for my turn to meet her!

a little pick me up...

Literally.

Every other week either Marty or I fly... across Kansas... to spend the weekend together. We're blessed with the fact that we get to fly so much.

Last Thursday Marty flew in... he was supposed to be in at 8:10, but his flight was late, so I waited...

...and waited...

...and waited...

While I was waiting, I ran into a guy I went to high school with. He was in the terminal at DIA working on a journalism project about love... he was taking pictures and interviewing people who were waiting for their loved ones. He got some pictures of us when Marty showed up (they're blurry, but it's fun to have them!)

waiting... with butterflies...

at this point, marty was asking me about the random guy taking pictures of us... i told him not to worry about it... :)

A sweet wedding at Camp...

My best friend Jill and I both worked at Camp Timberline last summer. Before heading up in May, we went to the Gap to get a few things for our time up in Estes Park. The cashier at the store asked what we were doing for the summer and after we told her about being camp counselors, she said "oh... I met my husband at camp! Maybe you will, too!" Jill, being the non-dater that she was, quickly responded "no.... not me...."

Well, a year and a few months later and she married the man she met at Camp Timberline.

And they had a really sweet Camp T-style wedding weekend... complete with the zip line and baked oatmeal.


Jill and Zach are so in love. It was so sweet to stand up with Jill as her almost-husband wept through his vows. It was sweet to pray for them as they took communion together. It was special to watch my best friend kiss her new husband for the first time as a married lady.

After the ceremony, the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and the newlyweds got in a huddle and said "Holy Matrimony on three... one... two... three... Hold Matrimony!" Then we ran inside to warm up... it was about 35 degrees during the ceremony and yes, we were outside.

The reception was very "Zach and Jill-ish"... burgers and fries for dinner, cupcakes for dessert, fun dancing, and fires in the lodge to warm our cold fingers. It even started snowing during the party. The Griffins left to us throwing birdseed at them... apparently Zach found some later that night in his ear.

What a great time! I loved having Marty as my date. Spending the weekend with him up at Camp was a neat experience for me. It was relaxing, fun, and an adventure (I expect nothing less from that man...). My parents were at the wedding and stayed the night in Estes, so the four of us walked around a snowy lake the next morning.

Jill is married. That's still weird to say! But I'm so happy for her as she begins this journey with Zach.

:: the weekend ::

we hiked with my cousin beth, who is attending ravencrest bible college in estes.

cute table decorations

getting ready in our cabin!

:: the wedding ::

oh hello, twin sisters...

steepest aisle... ever....

jill's bridesmaids

her groom was coming to get her

the griffins!

:: the reception ::

the lodge looked great!

cupcakes... mmm...

jill and her mom made the bouquets





my hot date :)

college roommates!

so happy together


:: sunday morning hike ::




i feel so blessed that i get to date this man...