Random

I feel the urge to blog and have nothing really interesting to blog about, so I thought I would do this little survey about 2008:

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? move to Texas
2. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions in '08, and have you made some for '09? I didn't really make them in '08, and I'm not making any in '09.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? YES! Andrew was born on October 8 & Kaylea was born on Nov. 18
4. Did anyone close to you die? Michael's grandmother and aunt
5. What countries did you visit? NONE.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? a puppy
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Burks' Bumpin' Christmas--one of the best
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? getting an A in Dr. Jones' class
9. What was your biggest failure? I turned in an incomplete assignment accidentally and got a 75...that was pretty tragic.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? nope
11. What was the best thing you bought? a tie between the GPS and the Wii
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Michael getting his Master's
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? the press harassing poor Britney Spears
14. Where did most of your money go? Rent
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? babies being born and meeting them for the first time
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? You're Here by Francesca Battistelli (probably spelled that wrong)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? happier (b) thinner or fatter? same c) richer or poorer? same
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? spending quality time with Michael/spending quality time with the Lord
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? whining and complaing/dinging my bell (Stephen that's for you)
20. How did you spend Christmas? with my family
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? I stayed in love with my husband
22. What was your favorite TV program? 24 and Lost!!!!
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? well....hate is a strong word. Stongly dislike? nah...not anyone I can think of...the Devil? Does he count?
24. What was the best book you read? oooo that is tough! I read a LOT last year. probably the Harry Potter series as far as fiction reading goes...
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? yeah...none of those...
26. What did you want and get? a Wii...
27. What did you want and not get? a puppy
28. What was your favorite film of this year? yeah...nothing stands out as fabulous
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 23 and I taught 2nd grade
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? nothing my year was fabulous
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? blue jeans and a baby T
32. What kept you sane? Michael
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I've always been quite fond of Reese although I surely do love Keifer Sutherland now...
34. What political issue stirred you the most? well...it was an election year...but abortion is a big issue with me...I am Pro-LIFE
35. Who did you miss? my mommy and my daddy, Stephen and Ashley, Nanny and Pa, my kids from 2nd grade
36. Who was the best new person you met? Alyson Mansur
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. To be intentional in building relationships--with God, with my husband, and with others
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I don't think a year of my life can be summed up in a song lyric...seriously? But a word? CHANGE

Baron

This is Baron, the puppy we are looking into adopting.

Potential New Addition

So, due to the break-in, Michael and I are seriously considering adopting a dog. Mainly to keep me company when Michael is away on business and also to bark at anyone who comes close to our apartment. Maybe the ferocious bark will be a deterrent. Anyways, we went to PetSmart today to look at some dogs that the Granbury Friends for Animals Adoption Shelter had there, and I absolutely fell in love with this big cuddly dog named Barron. He is a beagle/Australian Shepherd mix. He is big and black and furry and oh so soft! Plus he loves to snuggle! He just sat in my lap the whole time we chatted (and he's not small!) He is about 4 months old, so he still has a bit of growing to do. I am calling him Bear for short. He is real smart and can already fetch! I don't have a picture to show you, but if we adopt him, you can rest assured there will be a post featuring Bear.

If you think about it, please pray for us as we make this decision. It's a big responsibility financially and just in taking care of another living being. We want to make the right decision for us and Bear (or whatever dog we decide to adopt).

In other news, we discovered more missing items! Michael's toolbox and drill are gone. Luckily the insurance claim hasn't been finalized, so we can add those items.

School starts Thursday with 1 class and chapel. I think I have Monday off because of MLK day, so my 2 Monday classes won't start until the next week! I am ready to get back in the routine of school.

I can't think of anything else noteworthy to tell you! Happy Saturday!

Testing...plus news

Testing out this Scrapblog business. This one is kinda ugly, but I'm just testing it out and how to post it. I'll do better later.

FYI for those of you who follow the blog and family. Michael and I were the victims of a robbery Monday morning while we were at class and work. The bulk of our electronics including gaming systems and accessories were stolen. Thankfully, they were gone when I got home. Michael was out of town on an audit, but I was blessed to have a good friend, Alyson, come over and help me out. She and her husband hosted me at their apartment until Michael returned Tuesday night. Also, a very kind fellow student GAVE me a laptop. I was astonished. God never fails to bless even in the midst of trials! We have gotten all of the paperwork filed with the insurance company and should be able to replace nearly everything we lost. The door has been reinforced, so hopefully we are protected from further burglaries. We are also considering getting a dog although I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of responsibility. We'll see. We are going to go "shop" for one at the pound on Saturday!

Due to the robbery though, I've lost ALL of my pictures from 2006 until the present unless they are posted on this blog. So if YOU have any pictures of us from the past 3 years, I would love for you to e-mail them to me. Especially pictures of Clara Beth, Matthew, Andrew, and Kaylea! You can e-mail them to meb88meb @ hotmail . com (remove spaces).

A Morning Exploring Downtown

Michael and I spent Saturday morning exploring downtown. We toured the Bass Performance Hall and walked through the Fort Worth Water Gardens. It really is amazing how clean downtown Fort Worth is. There is a free parking garage in walking distance of lots of great restaurants, entertainment, and a massive Barnes and Noble.

Christmas at the Ketchums

I promise, Christmas just gets better and better at the Ketchum's house as the little kids get bigger and bigger. As you know, we added two to our number this year--Andrew and Kaylea. Matthew turned 3 on Christmas day and Clara Beth isn't far behind him and will be 3 on March 3rd!

This year, Matthew has been obsessed with trains--especially Thomas. Santa brought him a train table and all sorts of wooden trains and tracks. Clara Beth was focused on being a princess and got lots of princess dress-up cloths and princess dolls! It is so crazy how different they are!

Matthew and Clara Beth also took on the job of distributing the presents as you will see in the pictures. Some of the presents were as big as they were! Then we all sat around and watched them tear into their packages, saving ours for naptime! Matthew was so cute, every time he opened something related to a train he just gasped in delight. Clara Beth's response to everything was "open it daddy!". We learned from last year NOT to open and assemble all the toys, but let them pick one to play with after opening everything. After the kids went down for their naps, the adults opened all their presents and played some Wii which was fun! We had a great time! I must say, I needed that baby fix! There is nothing--and I seriously mean NOTHING--in the world better than holding a sleeping infant. My only guess is that its better when it is your own!

Enjoy the pics!

Burks' Bumpin' Christmas and other Christmas Happenings

So I had every intention of writing a very witty narrative conveying the hilarity that was Christmas day at the Burks' household this year. But alas, my brother has beat me to it and done a far superior job than I ever would have, so visit their blog and read all about it.

My cousin Bryan and his wife Becca visited us for New Year's and the Cotton Bowl, and Bryan and I agreed that this was probably the most fun Christmas we can remember in the recent past. It was a wonderful day filled with enjoying family MINUS the tension that a day with the family often brings if you know what I mean!

My sweet darling husband was kind enough to let me go home to visit with friends early. I rode with Deanna to Mississippi the Sunday before Christmas and had three WHOLE days to visit with friends and family! WOW!

Monday morning--after stopping by the store for a visit with Dad which I miss SO much--I had a wonderful lunch with Lauren and Day at the Back Door with surprising conversation discussing theology concerning Mary (the mother of Jesus). I know! We're a little weird! Lauren will also be starting her second semester of grad school in counseling this January (at MSU)! Day will be headed for a 6 month mission trip to Germany in early January. I also swung by Pizazz Monday morning to check in on Lindsey! We had a good quick visit.

Also Monday afternoon, I was so excited to get to hang out with my cousin Carley! We had a blast just running errands and watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. It was great to catch up with her and reminisce over the trials of high school! (She is currently a junior at Pickens Academy)

Tuesday mom and I finished up shopping and wrapping. Then Tuesday night, Alan and Erica came over to hang out with me for awhile before Stephen's ENTIRE crew came over and invaded the house. It was so nice to hang out with Erica though. I forget how easy it is to hang out with a good friend. They already know how dorky you are and love you anyways, so you don't have to try. Good stuff.

Then Wednesday morning I got to hang out with two of my favorite people from high school and college--Day (yes again) and Jenna! We were brave and met early at 8 am for breakfast so we wouldn't make our parents mad! The time really got away from us! It was 10 before we realized it. Again, hanging out with old friends is truely the best. We can always pick up where we left off no matter how many months have gone by!

Then I headed over to Nanny's house to help make dressing (which has become a tradition in recent years....I am a slow learner). This year, my dear sweet mother tried to commandere (I probably didn't spell that right but am too lazy to check it) the operation! I had to remind her this was MY job and she could just watch! It didn't help much! We had a good time though. Michael FINALLY arrived Christmas Eve around 9! Boy did I miss him!!

Stephen and Ashley stayed at mom and dad's from Monday night on, so I had lots of good quality time with them (even though Ashley spent most of her time reading Breaking Dawn---I understand though, so I forgive her). Which included Stephen pitching a fit in the middle of making pancakes for breakfast and refusing to finish! He is such a baby sometimes! He was mad because Mom didn't have a griddle like he did but only a griddle that you set on the eye. It just wasn't big enough for him!

Anyways, all that was probably boring to you, but it was so much fun for me and each person I visited means so much to me! I wouldn't be who I am without any of them!

I will do a separate post on the Ketchum Christmas!