Home Sweet Home

Well, we had a good visit in Wichita Falls with friends and family, but it was sooo nice to get back home. I am so thankful for our home and I'm glad we love it so much. We've been here over 8 months now and it truly is home. The most relaxing thing in the world is to plop down in my recliner at home with my family. I've never been much of a TV-watcher, but over the past 8 months that has begun to change a little. This, I'm sure, has a lot to do with why I've gained 15 pounds since moving here! Yikes! I have finally reached a weight that I feel will keep me motivated to improve my overall health. I have been looking into the South Beach diet, but I really don't believe in dieting. I know they can help you jumpstart weight-loss, or teach you how to eat better, so I'm not going to say diets are bad. I just think there is no substitute for exercise, increased water consumption, and sensible eating. I heard a comedian say that with all the liposuction and stomach-stapling surgery and everything else, people will do anything but diet and exercise to lose weight. HA! Anyway, I didn't mean to chase that rabbit. I've been thinking that I need to lose about 30 pounds, but now it's more like 40-45 pounds!! Wish me luck!

We finally feel "plugged in" at church. We have a GREAT small group that meets every Sunday night. Two of the guys in the group also work downtown, so I've had lunch with both of them and I'm sure we'll do that often - I hope so anyway! We finally got to meet the pastor last Sunday. He went to Dallas Theological Seminary with our pastors from Grace Church in Wichita Falls.

I'd rather lick my armpit than go Christmas shopping. My wife is so organized and motivated to get it finished early, but I'm so mentally challenged in that area, I know it's frustrating for her. To my credit though, trying to buy the right gifts for our four children without buying too much for one or too little for another seems to resemble the organization efforts of distributing aid to thousands of Katrina victims!

This Friday at work, the owner of our company is going to give all of us debit cards as sort of a Christmas bonus. He's letting the girls all go to the mall together until 12:30 and then the guys get to go to the mall together until 4 or 5. That should be fun!