Merry Christmas Morning.

we have a house full. 

beds, couches & chairs are occupied with pillows, blankies & slumbering bods. 

what a perfect way to begin 2010 Christmas ... snuggled in deep. 

Merry Christmas!

My (kind of) Grown-Up Christmas List.

if i had infinite amounts of money or a bit more than i do now, or family members/close friends with such, these are a few items that i would definitely be demanding to have for Christmas this year:

#1

these cute boots

isle lace up rain boots $184

found on girlie army blog

#2

a private STL screening of this documentary:

#3

a three part trip.

FIRST STOP:

Southern Italy

palermo ... sicily ... 

SECOND STOP:

Greece

my dream

THIRD & FINAL STOP:

Nepal

for some intake of this beauty

and some of this kind

and a whole lotta' this kind

#4

totally in love with this:

not harmful to anything or anyone ... even more perfect!

kimchi blue lady bird faux fur coat $148 @ urban outfitters

#5

an ipad.

$500-$700

want it!

#6 

nikon 50mm lens

$140-$230

#7

a neapolitan mastiff 

SO. MUCH. MONEY.

aren't they incredible though? immaculate. beautiful ... some day. 

there is more ... but i think this will suffice ...

my birthday is in June, we'll revisit dreamy, rich-people gifts then.

To Do; Doo Doo

on today's list:

1. paint my nails

2. finish field assignment journals

3. finish SOCW 302 study guide

4. go to walmart :(

- crochet hook

        - some art materials

    - iTunes gift card

5. dread TLC

6. make christmas cards for my 2 fav professors

7. go to the bank

 - deposit check

                      - get out cash for tomorrow

8. make LOTS of phone calls

9. pay phone bill

10. check grades online

11. yoga

12. put on make-up

13. finish painting doll-house for Evie's birthday

14. look-up movies for tomorrow night ... 

my brother is going to be 20!

15. hangout with my mama

16. read my Bible

17. create signs for donation boxes at work

18. go to work (on my day off, ew) and put boxes up

19. meet & plan church christmas dinner entertainment

20. be kind

21. relax

22. pet my dog

23. eat well

24. feel accomplished

25. thank God for all of the good, undeserved, greatly cherished blessings in my life ... including, but not limited to, this dude:

losing friends is a strange thing to have to do.

especially when you don't open yourself up to a huge array of people. when one of them that you did invest in, talk with, live life with, laugh and cry in front of, learn to love ... when they take off, there floods a whole chorus of emotions that one must sift through and organize and figure out.

over the last year or so i have been going through the process of losing a friend. 

working through it on my own really, he ducked out of the whole "let's call this thing off" part. just disappeared. after five years of long distant frienship, a couple roadtrips to visit each other and a lifetime of memories (at least for me) of how we met ... 

POOF.  P O W .  GONE. 

right out of my life. 

we haven't spoken in at least a year, and i still am not sure how to feel or what to think about it all. i am a little mad still. i think he's a jerk ... a lot of the time.  but i thought that even when we were friends ... that's kind of just part of him. i think he's arrogant and that he doesn't respond well when his ego gets knocked around a little. i think that he's overly competitive unlike me ... ;) 

and likes things to happen only on his terms. 

but you know what else ... 

i think he is kind. i think he's one of the most thoughtful and protective people i have ever met. i think he's intelligent and a good impeccable thinker and interested in things that so many people in today's world aren't. i think he tries to cover up his goodness too much. i think he is fun and hilarious. i think he dreams huge. i think he has guts and a certain power within him that is uncommon in Godly men these days. i think i have never had to lose somebody that i've loved ...
that he made himself the first. 

he was my friend ... for real. he was really my friend. i cared about him, and wondered how his days were, and kept pictures of him on my walls, and thought of him fondly. it's so weird ... i don't really understand how people can just do away with relationship. how does that work? it just seems mean. bitter. cold. foolish. 

but he's not mean. i don't think he was trying to be mean. that's not really his way. it had to have been something else. don't ask me what, because i cannot answer ... but, over and over again, i can't let my final conclusion be that it's just because he's mean. he's not. he's good. 

anyway ... just something that i was thinking about today 

& i wanted it out from inside of me. 

that's all. 

Ashley's Birthday

it's a day to celebrate, folks ...

today is

my sister's birthday!

you know, it's quite fitting that this celebration falls only five days after Thanksgiving because

 i am B E Y O N D  thankful for my big sister ...

 my confidant ... my best of friends ... the one who's not afraid to challenge my character ... the one who is encourager & role model to dozens of women ... the one who is cherished, literally, around the world by her friends ... the one who raises three beautiful babes, aces biology exams, gets into nursing school with ease but not without hard work, runs a bible study, makes perfect chocolate chip cookies, reads a dozen books a month or so it seems, writes, shops, cooks, cleans, and thrives in life ... yes, all at the same time. 

she dreams big, and is committed to her calling ... no matter what or how long it takes ... she believes in our God's truth and holds tight to His promises. she's enthralled with her children. she's smart and wise. she is good and funny. her blue eyes, blonde hair and sparkling smile have dazzled many a' heart over the years ... and i, alexandria turner, have been immensely proud to be labeled her little sister for as long as i can remember. i claim her with pride and excitement ... i love to tell people that we come from the same places, that i know her with an intimacy that so many never will ...

  SISTERS 

we cannot be broken or separated. we will never lose touch or forget to call each other on Christmas or birthdays. her & i will always share our childhood and our grandmas and our little brother and our icky, dumb dogs and our barbie ahem escapades and our long car rides to vacation in arkansas and our blue eyes and our little, tiny, petite noses joke and our sweet mommy and our powerful dad and our longing to love broken children and our christian heritage ... we are blood. i will never lose her. 

happy birthday, sissy ...

i am lucky to be yours.

love, love, love you.

2005                                                                          2006 

2008                                                                     2009

2010

The Morning After.

after all of the 

*sugar - pies, chocolates, fondues, cookies, sprinkles, oreos, etc.

*restless nights of sleep

*early mornings

*late nights

*dinners out

*dinners in

*lunches

*breakfasts

*snacks - morning, noon & night

i am shot ...

i have a holiday hang-over.

 this morning i skipped my shower that's a big deal, i needed a shower so that i could sleep for fifteen more minutes. fifteen minutes ... what does that even do? nada. 

i have a stuffy nose, heavy eyes & a serious case of wrong-side-of-the-bed grumps.

so, off to church i'll go, greasy-headed & groggy from the weekend past.

happy holidays. 

Yesterday's Best Photo Award

my gramps is the best grandpa there ever could be ... yes, better than yours, i'm sure of it  *wink

he is the single most loving, hard-working, hard-headed, genuine man that i have ever known.
he loves his kids, grandkids and great-grandchildren with an everlasting, protective, truth-filled love that we feel through and through. we are part of his family ... we are his ... and he lets us know it. whether through his big bear claw hugs, his vice-grip 'massages', or his affirming words of how proud he is of me ... i am confident in my grandfathers affection for me. i think, through his life of ministry and hardship, that he has learned well how to really love someone. through mess and trial and pain and goodness ... no matter what, he loves on.

i am proud and blessed to be under his protection, prayer & love ...
not to mention, to be one of the few that are able to claim his name.
i love my name ... i am not sure that i'll part with it well
TURNER
yup, it's a good one now!   :)

this Thanksgiving was warm and cozy in every sense.

i'll tell about it later, when this crazy fun weekend is over.