Merry Christmas!

2005...Wow! A lot has happened in the past year! It started on a very low note with Ryan in Kuwait. In March, Ryan came home & we celebrated my birthday & his homecoming in San Antonio. That trip was a lot of fun. I have really enjoyed him being home this year. Of course, it did take some adjustment to having someone else at home. You wouldn't think it would be that big of a deal, but it was an adjustment for us both!

The rest of the year was filled with work, visiting family, making new friends (because I moved us to Dallas), surgery, & brother-in-law's wedding. There have been some fun times...and some not so fun times. Overall, I count 2005 as a blessed year for us. I thank God that He showed us love and compassion throughout this year. There were SO many times we needed Him, especially while Ryan was in Kuwait. And He was there for us each and every time!

I hope throughout this holiday season each person is able to see the blessings God has given you over the past year. Sometimes, they are hidden and sometimes they are right out in the open, but they are always there. Our God is so faithful & strong. This year has shown me how much I need Him & how much He does for me. May you see that, too, in your own lives.

Love,
Lesli

P.S. This will probably be my last blog during the holidays. We are heading out in the morning to visit family. I hope each and every person has a WONDERFUL Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Rylie

This is Rylie Hoskinson, Brittany's baby. Isn't she cute?! I think she's just adorable!! She looks like a little baby doll! So cute!

Busy, busy, busy

Christmas is a WONDERFUL time of year, but man is it busy! I can't remember when we had a night to just sit back and relax. Oh well...time to relax is on the way!! We leave for Paducah in 3 days!!!! I'm so excited! Bet ya hadn't heard that one! ;)

Last night I went to dinner with Brittany and Rylie (her daughter). It was so much fun!! I use to work with Brittany at the bank. I really miss getting to hang out with her on a daily basis. She really is one of the best people to work with & friend that someone can have. So, thanks Brit for having dinner with me and letting me see that beautiful bundle of yours!!! I'm so happy for you.

That's about all I know. I need to get off here and eat dinner so that I can head to Target to get a few things and then start getting clothes together to pack.

Pic of us at Jon and Corena's wedding

 

Can't wait!

In a week and a half we will be heading to Paducah for Christmas!!!!! :) Can you tell I'm excited?! We are going to be in for a decent amount of time. We will actually be able to SEE family. Usually when we go in, I feel like we only get glimpses of them. Although it will still not be long enough, we will be able to get some good quality time in. I am really, really ready.

So, to all of the family we will get to see...we can't wait!! To those who will not be in, we will deeply miss you and wish you could be there with us. We love you...you know who you are!!

I hope this week is blessing you all!!

Love,
Lesli

Winter Weather

Today we got a taste of winter. Although, it is not the kind of winter you welcome. Currently at 4:23pm it is 27 degrees outside. That part I like. The rest of the weather report is not so friendly. It is not snowing...it's icing. They are expecting 1-3 inches of ice tonight. Ice...that is never fun. You can't quite play in it & you can't control your vehicle on it! So, we will be staying in the comforts of our home tonight. I guess I asked for it when I said a couple of blogs ago that I wanted winter to come soon. Oh well!

Since church is cancelled tonight, I'm planning on wrapping Christmas presents. I LOVE wrapping presents! My mom use to put all of our presents in boxes & put our initials on the box to tell who's box was who's. Then, she'd call me in & let me help wrap the presents. I even wrapped my own many times! I didn't care. It's so fun to be able to make a regular present look so pretty. It really is one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

Ryan and I have this argument when it comes to Christmas. He HATES the presents part of Christmas. He says that there shouldn't be a holiday when you HAVE to get someone something or they HAVE to get you something. He just despises that part of Christmas. Although I agree with him that for the most part, Christmas is overrated, I LOVE the presents part. No, not the part of getting presents, but the part of giving presents.

I read a book not too long ago called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. In the book, it talked about the way we give love is the way we expect to receive love. One of my "love languages" is giving gifts. I absolutely LOVE to give gifts. If I'm not careful over Christmas, I can way overspend! To me, there is nothing more special that someone thinking of you while they aren't even with you and getting something special just for you. So, that's why I like the presents part of Christmas. I'm sure that's also why I like making the presents look so pretty, too.

All of that to say, I really love this time of year. I can't wait to be home with our families and have a "traditional" Christmas!! This will be the first time in 3 years we will both be able to be in Paducah for Christmas, and we are really really looking forward to it!

Dilema

Over the past several years I have had a huge dilema. I attended 3 years of college and then said, "I don't really know what I want to do." So, instead of wasting Dad's $$, I decided to sit out until I could figure it out. Several (I won't say how many) years later, I still haven't finished. This past week I have REALLY been thinking about what I should go back for. I've always known that I want to go back. Having not finished has made me feel like a failure for long enough. So, school is on the horizon for me. But...which school & majoring in what?

Although I'm not 100% on a decision, I have decided that I don't really have to know what I'm suppose to be when I grow up. I just need to pick something and get it done. I really don't think there is one specific thing that I need to do. I don't think God says, "Swung and missed, Lesli. Sorry that wasn't it, so you're going to be miserable for the rest of your life." Just doesn't seem like it works that way. Anyway, I've given myself the deadline of Jan. 1st so that hopefully I can get in a class or two by the summer.

Please keep this in your prayers. I want to do what is best for me and our family financially. Then...after Jan. 1st ask me what I decided & I will give you the answer that I'm sticking with!

Thanks to Summer for helping me see that I really need to finish. She mentioned that credits don't always hang around forever. I called MSU & they said that it probably will for a while, but it really got me thinking. Why would I want to risk losing the credits that I do have?! So thanks!! Love ya girl!!

Hope everyone's weekend is going well!!

Love to you all,
Lesli

Our New Computer

Guess what?! I am sitting at our computer desk with our new laptop & am on the internet! We just got it home & hooked it up. It saw the network and connected. How cool is that?! I can now go in the other room with the computer and continue typing. If you can't tell...we are a little excited! It is definitely Merry Christmas to us!

I know some computer savvy people would be laughing at this blog, but I am quite excited that we were able to get it. The laptop will be very helpful to Ryan when they send him out-of-town for work. When you're taking online classes, you kinda have to get online! : )

Speaking of Ryan's classes....he got a 99 in his first class!! Woohoo!!! Way to go Ryan! You can't start out better than an A! I knew he could do it, and am so happy that he's proved it to himself.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!! We are ready for ours. Nothing special is planned, just school work & house cleaning. At least he will be home!

Love to you all,
Lesli