Happy January!

I like January, except last year because it was -20, almost everyone I knew fled the cold before I did, and I went 2 weeks in which I would only leave for an hour or so every 4 days just to brave the cold and go to the DVD market and get a few groceries. I lived off of chicken alfredo made from a mix, hot chocolate, toast, a limited book selection, and bootlegged DVDs.

But normally, I like January. I think new year's resolutions are just asking to be broken so I don't make them, but I do try to set goals that I usually don't reach. I usually think about what the challenges and highlights of the next year will be, though I've learned that my expectations are usually wrong and I can only really think about life a month at a time.

Little (and big) things I'm excited about this month/year are:

1. Leighton is doing well enough that doctors have talked about sending him home before his next surgery, which will be in March. I wasn't even expecting him to stay off his breathing tube for long.

2. turning 24, mostly because it is an excuse to invite friends to hang out. Some people I miss a heck of a lot happen to be coming into town on my birthday week.

2. I won't miss having a camera anymore because one of the aforementioned friends is giving me his old one.

3. road trips to Norman. the drive is long but usually pretty nice. unfortuntately it's hard to get my iPod adapter to work in my car so most entertainment consists of singing or talking to myself during the drive. i'm starting to really love norman, though. many of the people there are awesome. they have a nice chic-fil-a and a really good cheap thai restaurant. they even have a library with a good DVD selection.

4. actually filling out and sending my grad school application to the University of Cental Oklahoma. the idea of being a student again, and living in oklahoma, is a distant but true reality. i better enjoy the hills (and hillbillies) while i still can.

5. laundry love project: i went for the first time on Friday night. basically, some of my fellow community groupers and I met up with some Cobblestone Project people at a laundromat and provided free laundry services geared towards homeless/really low income people in south F'ville. it wasn't very busy this week but i'm looking forward to getting to know the people who come regularly. i also like putting quarters in machines and pushing buttons, which is probably why i used to have so many usesless toys from quarter machines.

6. working in the Greenhouse a few times this semester with the younger elementary kids. i've known most of them since they were 3 and some since they were babies. i love seeing kids grow up and teaching them more about Jesus. they are also pretty hilarious, often without realizing it.

7. Scrubs on ABC!!!