New Year's wish

As we close out 2007 and head into a brand-new year, here's my wish for y'all:

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NLT)

See ya next year....

-Liz :)

Favorite sign

This sign, just before the Woodburn exit on I-5 south, is my favorite. I've been trying forever to get a picture of it!

-Liz :)

Inspiration from a calendar

I just opened my new 2008 calendar with beautiful mountain scenes. Printed on the cardboard inside is the story of DaySpring Cards. Co-founder Roy Lessin writes:

"God goes before you today and His presence is with you. He has a life for you to live, a plan for you to follow, and a purpose for you to fulfill. He had allowed you to be here, at this time in history, to be His watchman to this generation."

At this time in my life that seems so up in the air, I'm thankful for Roy's reminder.

-Liz :)

Merry Christmas!!!!

"Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them"Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!"
Luke 2:9-11 NLT

Christmas Marathon

On your mark, get set, go! The Christmas Marathon is under way in the Wood household. All my family lives here, so that's always meant a lot of Christmas celebrations. Now that Brad's family is involved, we have even more fun stops along the way. Oh, and don't forget my handbell choir at NFC!

Here's the rundown so far:

Saturday evening was a super-yummy dinner at Mike and Aj's in Dundee. Brad's grandmother, parents and cousins gathered for food and fun gifts.

Sunday, I was up at 5 a.m. for three handbell performances at church. In between services, Eryn and I helped Santa with some last-minute shopping.

After, we headed down a stormy I-5 to Eugene to celebrate with my dad's family. My news job/schedule forced me to skip the last several McKee parties, and I was so happy to be there this year! My grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and cousins' kids were all there. What a full house!

Next up, Brad's folks are coming this afternoon for traditional Christmas Eve snacks at our house. Then I'm off to NFC for another three services of handbells.

Wait until you hear about tomorrow's adventure! I think I need a nap :)

-Liz

Snow day

Eight of us hit the mountain Wednesday for a little pre-Christmas snow day. We never saw the massive storm that was predicted, but we still had fun snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. We parked at the Glacier View sno-park (across from Ski Bowl west) and tromped around the Enid Lake area. It was about 33 degrees and snowing/raining/snowing/raining the whole time. Still, I think a good time was had by all!

-Liz :)

Testing

What does one do when one gets a brand-new backpacking tent? Test it out in the back yard, of course! Brad and I set our Sierra Designs Baku 3 Tuesday and spent the night inside.
It was cold and blustery, but the tent stayed nice and dry! Can't wait for spring so we can take it on the trail.
-Liz :)

You're invited!!!!!

Please join us Christmas Eve at Newberg Friends for a wonderful candlelight service filled with music - including our handbell choir ("starring" me and my sis, Eryn!) We have three services to help fit your schedule: 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m.

Click HERE for directions.

-Liz

The Candle Song

I love this song. We sang it in church yesterday and it provided me hope, comfort and peace this morning. Take a listen.

-Liz

White elephant

What's better than a house full of food, friends and laughter?? Nothing!

We hosted our annual Christmas party and white elephant gift exchange yesterday. There were lots of goodies to eat and awesome friends to share the snowy day. (Too bad none of those flakes stuck around!)

-Liz

Ta-da!

The fat, fluffy tree now sits in our living room ("It's not going in our yard, Rusty!"), all decorated and ready for presents. Linus has never really noticed the trees, but I think he likes it as a hiding place.
Our living room has been taken over by Santa Mickeys! Do you think I need more??

I hope you're also having a blast preparing for the holidays!

-Liz :)

The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree

The five of us hopped in the pickup truck Saturday for our annual Christmas tree hunt. We made a quick stop at Lee's Farm in Tualatin to fuel up on fresh apple cider doughnuts. Then it was off to Bell Road in Newberg/Sherwood. We found this little family farm last year and hoped that it would have more good trees for our three homes. We all picked out great Douglas firs for $20 each and loaded them into the truck bed. It was a bit sketchy, but we all made it back to Tigard in one piece.

If you're still looking for a tree, check out Skurdahl Farm on Bell Road, not far off Highway 99W. Great trees and great prices!

-Liz

Stormy weather

For the first time in 10 years, I am enjoying a winter storm! I have no anxiety. I feel no pressure to drop everything and spend 24/7 in the newsroom or near my computer. I can curl up with a cup of cocoa and listen to the pounding rain and howling wind. I'm not dreaming of great storm-coverage headlines. I'm not stuck on the bus, willing it to get me downtown faster. Life is good :)

-Liz