The Day My Dog Ate My Gingerbread Grandfather

It all started out as a very pleasant morning.

Rolls were baking.

Smoothies were smoothing...ermmm blending. 

Mom and Maddy were talking. 

All was well, as it should be.

Then the world of Maddy and gingerbreads everywhere was shattered. 

I looked up and saw a broken man.

{somehow my sister's gorgeous creation went untouched}

The culprit was this fella.

I mean he is just the cutest thing. 

But not when he smells noticeably of ginger. 

He knew he was busted too...

after "sending him to his room"

as my mom says, 

she and I could not stop laughing. 

But I really did feel a hint of sadness for this little guy. 

He almost looks as if he's crying. 

I promise I'm not totally and completely obsessed with gingerbread men (or grandfathers).

This was just so great. 

Also, this week has involved the viewing

of several episodes of 

The Dick Van Dyke Show. 

It's one of my favorite tv shows ever. 

All five seasons are on Hulu right now. 

{happy Maddy}

Breaking Down Christmas Break

The last few days have finally felt like I am truly on a break from school. 

What a beautiful experience it is to have rest! 

Yesterday, due to the good fortune of delayed airplane flights, 

I was blessed to spend an entire afternoon 

with my dear friend, and my Resident Assistant at school, Ruth. 

{this is what it looked like, with tea and yummy soup to sprinkle it with some flava flave}

It was a pure 

de~light 

to hear how her heart is being 

strengthened

as she has experienced the greater extent of her 

weaknesses

throughout this semester. 

How grateful I am to know a woman like her!

~~~~~~~~~~

Today was a day for catching up and traditions. 

I snegged lunch and some time in one of my favorite

hometown spots with an old friend.

{looking out on my city, so lovely}

 Sean has been such a good friend my whole life. 

We realized today that we literally went to school

together from preschool until high school graduation.

He's the only one I've had that with.

What a joy to have such consistency in my life. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight was an evening of family. 

One of my favorite Christmas rituals each year.

An evening pre-Christmas spent

with some dear family friends.

They are such wonderful people.

We always consume copious amounts of

 bread rolls, soup and sparkling apple cider.

White Elephant gifts are exchanged. 

And Bingo is played to a mad happy extent. 

Christmas seems to be a time when 

family 

doesn't just mean you have to be related. 

When we got back, my mom had 

pre-Christmas gifts

 for me and my sibbas to open.

*GIANT* Gingerbread Men!!!

{mine had weird bumpies on it's face, all gb men are different}

We cranked up the Christmas music 

and channeled our inner-cookie-decorating skills. 

I decided to make mine into a gingerbread grandfather. 

Gb's age too, ya know? 

I started with his heart and then made eyebrows. 

And suspenders. 

Those are the things that matter you know? 

Oh and his left arm is in a cast. 

He fell whilst playing Christmas bocce ball in the snow. 

{whattastud}

It has been a thoroughly joy-filled week. 

I am grateful for each moment...

the tastes...

the smells...

the images...

the people...

and the hugs, always the hugs. 

{grateful and ever so blessed is this Maddy in this pre-Christmas time}

Sandy Christmas

This week has been a sicky week. 

Bleh. Mrrr. Mehak. Gah. 

Luckily, though, the cloud o' disease didn't

set in until my finals were finished. 

I came home quick as a whip and slept.

And slept.

And slept.

And slept, even as I was sleeping.

Yesterday was my first day back in the real world. 

The morning started off with some

mad Christmas shopping with my mom. 

So wonderful. 

I think I realized for the 

first time

that Christmas shopping is not supposed 

to be a hassle. 

It's such a JOY to be able to spend time 

(with my amazing mother)

looking for special and personal objects

to bring a smile to the face of someone I love. 

I bet the wise men were stoked out of their

freaking purple-y royal robes

to bring their gifts to sweet Jesus. 

I want to be a joyful-gift-giver too!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night I was able to catch up with

 my sweet Hilly-friend. 

Our goal for the evening 

{we tend to have goals for our adventures, see here}

was something "Christmas-y".

We drove towards San Pedro 

over the bridges 

{love bridges}

across the harbor and up around the hill, 

past the Korean friendship bell

and the lighthouse.

These sights were accompanied by an overflow

of words

and laughs

and all around giddiness.

And then we had to stop and turn around.

Stupid construction.

On our drive to a coffee shop back around home, 

I spotted a Christmas tree lot on PCH. 

We pulled in and parked.

The moment I opened the door 

and breathed the first outdoor breath,

I knew I was really home. 

{love this lady}

My nose revelled in the smell.

It was Christmas-tree-meets-ocean.

Saltypine if you will.

The smell of a SoCal Christmas.

Growing up in Southern California 

was often confusing for me. 

Surfing the week before Christmas

is normal.

The ocean makes me feel at home.

Hilly and I walked through the trees,

aisle after aisle of sweet green, 

pretending we were in a forest. 

My nose nearly started weeping 

at the glory of it all. 

The salty breeze-laced greenness overwhelmed me. 

It was beautiful. 

Then we went to the beach

{woooo}

and ate ice cream

on the pier

as the waves crashed 

underneath us. 

Christmas involves all the senses.

Last night, 

my nose welcomed the season.

((happyfacemaddypants))

Love-a-love-lovely

Tomorrow morning at 10 am I will have the 

biggest

 final of my semester. 

As Christ is the smartest man ever alive, 

I finished out my study sesh with some prayer and Jesus time. 

As I ventured into the Bible and the devotional that I'm currently working my way through, 

the word love kept SCREAMING its happy face at me. 

First it was a quote: 

"If what we call love doesn't take us beyond ourselves,

it is not really love.

If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, 

shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning." 

-Oswald Chambers

Then, it was 1 John 4:16: 

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. 

God is love

and whoever abides in love avides in God, and God abides in him." 

Then I had a thought.

Nothing profound, just a snatch of a thought really:

God is love. 

So when I tell someone 

"I love you"

it reflects a valuable duty. 

I am telling him or her that I am committing to reflecting
God's love in that relationship.

Through the actions in my life 

and my words. 

Love seems to take risks. 

But it must recognize the true reason that it is taking those risks. 

Love is big. 

God is love.