Answered Prayers

I'm such a bad blogger. I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately (so much going on!), but I got the itch to do it tonight, despite how tired I am. We had snow this weekend, which was a nice surprise. I hate driving in it, but I love seeing it at this time of year. And it's even more beautiful at night with all the houses lit for the holidays. Lucy loves it too. Whenever it snows, she wakes me up extra early in the morning just to make sure she's the first to get her paws in the fresh snow. She literally went berzerk around our cul-de-sac this morning and practically sent me diving down our driveway. She is so cute like that. I'll have to take some pictures and post them for you guys sometime.

As many of you know, I'm gearing up for my move to El Paso. I have so much to praise God for. The house has been on rental market for a few days and my property manager has been getting a lot of inquiries. I actually have a few prospects of my own and someone is coming to see the house in a few weeks. I honestly wasn't expecting too large a response so soon, but it is a relief just knowing that I could possibly have this place rented out before I leave. Another praise--a few weeks ago when I visited El Paso, I came back discouraged about the fact that I didn't see any promising places to live, nor was I able to find a place that allowed pets Lucy's size. Well it turns out that my friend Vickie (whose also in the Army) had a friend who was stationed at El Paso before and recommended a nice place to me that had no weight or breed restrictions on pets. To my relief, I was able to find the place online, saw that it was more than ideal, and was able to secure one for the second week of January (which is when I planned on getting down there). So now I get to have Lucy with me while I'm stationed down there (I was totally prepared to leave her here in Colorado with my parents). So thank God for all the blessings he's bestowed upon me. I'm now actually somewhat excited to go to Texas.

Don't you just love the holidays? As stressful as it can be, I really do enjoy it--especially since I have so much family around. The only thing that I miss is having Malu here. But that's okay. I'm making the most of it. I've got pretty much all my shopping done and presents wrapped. I don't have too much going on in the decorations department, but I honestly didn't feel like putting them up, only to take them down to be packed just a few days after Christmas. Every weekend so far has been jam-packed with get-togethers within our beloved Filipino community. As a matter of fact, close family friends of ours had an ornament exchange last weekend. I've grown up with these people for years and it has become a tradition that we all look forward to each year. I also had the task of making dessert that evening, which is shown here.

I made a macadamia nut pie (that I also made for Thanksgiving and was asked to make again), a pumpkin pecan ice cream pie, and a delicious coconut cake. I'll be posting all the recipes on my cooking blog sometime soon, so check it out! Here are some other pictures that were taken that night. It was such a blast! Here I am with my brother, Jon, and sister, Roz.

The party was held at Charisse's house. You can't even tell she's a few months pregnant here. We actually found out yesterday that she will be having a baby boy! She's due in May. Here she is with her big sis, Antonette.

Here are my cousins--Ray, Naomi, and Ryan (the three clustered together) with Jack to the far left. They're enjoying some of the good food!

Anna and Roz were my dates for the evening since everyone was paired up with their significant others. Here's a great group picture of all the ladies.

This is by no means the end of the holiday fun. There are two big parties this weekend as well as one at our house on Christmas day. No wonder none of us can't seem to lose any weight!

I must also say that I've picked up knitting lately. Well, it's knitting with the Knifty Knitter. It's this cool and easy way of making scarves, hats, and other great stuff on mini looms. I actually meant to start learning how to crochet, but I wanted something quick and simple to make as gifts for Christmas. It's been so much fun. Here are some pictures of my first project--a simple hat. I've made scarf and hat sets, which I'll post pictures of some other time.

On another note, Malu is doing well. He's definitely staying busy and frequently visits with local Iraqi citizens. As you can see here, he enjoys spending time with the children, who have now (and for whatever reason) call him Jackie Chan. He said he spent one afternoon playing basketball with the kids--in all that gear you see him wearing. He's always been crazy like that. We're both still waiting to hear whether or not he'll be able to come home for R&R in a few weeks. He requested to come in December since I'll be spending all of it here on leave until I report to my new unit. If he does come home, he'll be on the road with me for part of it. Not ideal, but it's better than him coming in the spring and me possibly being in the field or not knowing what my unit could be up to at the time. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

Whew! That was a mouthful. Serves me right for slacking! Now I can go to bed! I hope everyone has a blessed week! Ciao for now!